


Flesh and Blood

by Troper_Nyaru



Series: Flesh and Blood [1]
Category: Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman Blade | Teknoman
Genre: AU, Action, Bittersweet, Extraterestrial Science, F/M, Family Drama, Fanon, Gen, Liberal use of OCs, Moral Ambiguity, Sci-Fi, Transformation Trauma, Transhumanity, shonen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-17
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-10 04:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 361,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/462143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Troper_Nyaru/pseuds/Troper_Nyaru





	1. Friend or Foe

Kneeling before the place where Darkon, the great warlord of the Radam Empire, had commanded him to be Gunnar waited patiently for Darkon to appear. He did not have all that long to wait.

"Report, Gunnar. How goes the invasion of Earth?"

"All goes according to plan," Gunnar said calmly. "As you had suspected, their puny armies are no match for our Spider-crabs; their feeble weapons have almost no firepower, and their so-called Planetary Defense Force is nearly helpless. Their forces are being defeated all over the planet. In a matter of weeks, all resistance will be crushed and the planet Earth will be completely under our control," Gunnar finished confidently.

"Excellent. But beware of the Teknomen Saber and Slade. They somehow escaped before completing the transformation, and they may still be loyal to Earth. If they attempt to interfere, kill them."

"Yes, master."

The red glow of Darkon’s signature teleportation enveloped him then, and the Warlord was gone from his command chamber as quickly and silently as he had come. It fell to Gunnar to think of a way to dispatch the traitorous Teknomen, but he had not been put in command of the first wave of the Radam’s invasion solely because he had hatched first…

1101011

Gunnar looked out over the vast army of Spider-crabs that he had been assigned to lead. Smiling coldly, Gunnar began to think of ways to draw the traitors to him. In the end, though, Gunnar realized that the attack on the Space Ring would be enough to accomplish that. If they were still loyal to Earth, they would be sure to try and protect something the humans considered one of their greatest technological feats.

It was pathetic, really. If the traitors _did_ come, they would die. If they didn’t, Gunnar would track them down and bring them back into Darkon’s fold, by force if that became necessary.

For a moment, the few lingering traces of humanity that Gunnar had left rebelled against the idea of fighting his two closest friends. Ruthlessly Gunnar crushed them, Slade and Saber were traitors, nothing more. And so there was no reason for Gunnar to feel anything but pride in the fact that he would be the one to serve Darkon’s will by killing them.

Deep in the recesses of Gunnar’s mind, the few remaining shreds of Fritz Wallace’s personality wept soundlessly.

1100010

They were in the thick of the invasion now, and Slade seemed to be retreating further into himself the closer they got to Earth. Saber wasn’t sure what he could do to help his brother, but he knew that if the Spider-crabs all around them suddenly decided to attack, the two of them were going to be pretty well screwed. Saber didn’t intend to lose his last brother, not on top of everything else he had just lost.

"Slade, we’ve got to get out of this escape pod. The Radam are bound to stop ignoring it sooner or later, and I for one don’t want to be a measly Primary Body when they do," after he finished speaking, Saber wondered just how he had known what a Primary Body was.

"Yeah, I guess you’re right," Slade said dully. "We’d never survive a fight with them in these forms."

Nodding, Saber pushed against the wall of the escape pod and slowly rose to his feet. It was going to be a long hard battle, Saber knew, and he just hoped that neither of them would have to face off with any Teknomen right now. He didn’t think Slade could deal with that right now, Saber wasn’t even sure that _he_ could deal with having to do that right now.

There was only so much a human mind, or for that matter a human heart, could deal with in such a short time. Now Slade could just make out the far outer edge of the Space Ring, and the horde of Spider-crabs that were attacking it. Then there was no more time for the twins to sit back and plan a strategy, as a small swarm of Spider-crabs came charging straight at the escape pod.

Focusing, both twins managed to do something that they had never done before in all their lives: Saber and Slade both managed to pull their teknocrystals out of subspace. Slade’s was emerald green, the same color as his eyes in fact. Saber’s was a bright sky-blue, and it was like his brother’s in the fact that it matched his eyes, as well.

"Tekno-power!" both brothers shouted at the same time, holding their crystals aloft.

Both words and willpower became the catalysts for the crystals to transform Slade and his brother Saber into the most powerful warriors that Earth would have on its side for quite some time. As the almost rudimentary armor of a Primary Body was covered over and enhanced by that of a real Teknoman, both twins readied themselves for a tough fight.

The escape pod that had carried them to the outer edge of Earth’s orbit couldn’t handle the massive outpouring of energy from both transformations, and so it ended up as little more than burning spaceborne shrapnel. Once the transformations were done, Saber and Slade began cutting their way through the massed Spider-crabs that had surrounded them.

There were no words exchanged between the two of them; there was no time. But the brothers instinctively watched out for each other, covering for any blind spots or weaknesses that could prove fatal in this kind of battle. Their fight had eventually moved onto the Space Ring, after they had slaughtered their way through about two dozen Spider-crabs.

They were now moving about on the Space Ring itself, running and jumping and dodging across the uneven surface beneath their feet. It was nice to be able to feel gravity again, Saber reflected, then he leaped out of the path of a spray of Spider-crab venom.

"Saber," Slade’s voice came through the speakers in Saber’s own helmet.

"What is it?" Saber asked. Slade had sounded uncertain, as if he didn’t quite know how his brother was going to react to what he intended to say.

"I… I’m really glad you’re still here with me."

"Always," Saber said, smiling even though he knew that Slade wouldn’t be able to see the action.

Another swarm of Spider-crabs forced the twins apart then, but rather than fight their way back together, Slade and Saber decided that the best way to get rid of this group was to start at opposite ends and _then_ fight their way back together.

"I’ve _eaten_ your relatives, you oversized sea-insect!" Saber taunted. "Why don’t you come and get me?"

Meanwhile, far enough away that he couldn’t have picked up on Saber’s short-range transmission, Slade was just starting to have his own fun with the Spider-crabs that had the misfortune to be attacking him.

"What are you waiting for, an invitation?"

Slade leapt forward, gazellelike, ripping into his opponents with lethal ferocity.

"Chew on this, shell-breath!" Slade snarled, jamming the sharp point of his double-ended teknolance into the Spider-crab’s mouth, then he used his superior strength to flip the thing over on its back. Jabbing his teknolance into the soft, fleshy underside of the Spider-crab’s head, Slade finished the job.

That was when he noticed the other Spider-crab that was bearing down on him. "You two were made for each other!" Slade cracked, as he whipped the wounded Spider-crab up and over his head, smashing it into the oncoming Spider-crab. Once they were both incapacitated, Slade rammed his way through them.

Back at his end of the fight, Saber was also hacking his way through a persistent swarm of Spider-crabs.

"Try this, it’ll be a real blast!" with those words, Saber focused.

Saber had found out about this ability of his teknolance almost immediately after he had summoned it. The two ends of his lance folded into themselves, ending up looking almost like a pair of rockets. Then they launched, trailing an incredibly destructive ribbon of energy behind them. The bladed ends of Saber’s lance did what they were designed to do: wreak havoc and devastation among his enemies.

_< How are things going on your end?>_

_< Fine.>_ Telepathy was a completely new experience for Saber, but at the same time he had been almost prepared for it. Saber decided that that must have been another side effect from what he had been through in the teknopod. _< How are things with you?>_

_< Fine.>_

Saber nodded. There were more Spider-crabs to be destroyed, though, so as much as he might have preferred not to have to, Saber dragged his focus back to the battle at hand. The gap between the two brothers was getting narrower, and Saber waved to Slade as the Spider-crabs were cleared from his line of sight. But the hordes seemed endless, and for every two or three Spider-crabs that they managed to destroy, five more came to take their place. But something worse was waiting for the two boys, something a lot worse.

It was Saber who managed to catch the first glimpse of their new adversary, but only because he had turned to grapple with a Spider-crab that had tried to blindside Slade. Standing almost casually a few yards ahead of where the twins were engaging his forces, tapping the flat of a sword-like longbow against his left palm, was a demonic looking dark green figure.

Another Teknoman. The Spider-crabs cleared a path for the three space warriors, having at least enough intelligence to know that they didn’t want to be in the way of any of the attacks that were about to be launched.

"I was wondering when you two traitors were going to show up."

Saber squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to remember just whose voice he was hearing. _Hell._ "Hey Gunnar," Saber heard himself say, as if someone else was speaking for him. "I’m surprised you came out this far. Shouldn’t you be back licking Darkon’s boots?"

"Oh yes, the funny one," Gunnar laughed cruelly. "I wonder how amusing you’re going to find it when I present both your corpses to my master."

"You’re completely aware that that’s not going to happen, right?"

"Oh it will. In fact I think that just for your insolence, I’m going to kill your brother first and make you watch," Gunnar sneered.

"Over my dead body!" Saber shouted as he charged.

"So be it!"

If the vacuum of outer space had been capable of transmitting sound waves, it would have echoed with the sounds of crashing metal as Gunnar and Saber rammed into each other. Pivoting on one foot Saber kicked Gunnar in the face, forcing them apart. As Saber and Gunnar circled, each looking for an advantage over the other, Gunnar suddenly leapt forward and slashed with his longbow.

The edges of the bow were sharp as razors, and Saber just barely managed to dodge out of the way before the tip could pierce his throat. Pulling out his own weapon, Saber parried Gunnar’s next stab. Slade had been overwhelmed by a group of Spider-crabs, and so wasn’t able to come to the aid of his brother. The clang and crash of alien steel went unheard in the absence of an atmosphere, but both Teknomen could feel the shock of the blows as they traveled up their arms.

Feinting another stab at Saber’s face, Gunnar reoriented quickly and drove the point of his bow deep into Saber’s calf, almost severing the bone. Saber screamed; every nerve in his leg feeling like it was on fire.

"Saber!" Slade screamed, shrugging off the remaining Spider-crabs before they could overwhelm him again.

Rushing over to where his brother was, Slade hit Gunnar like an out-of-control locomotive, driving the green Teknoman backwards for as long as his momentum held out. Gunnar, not having the patience to deal with an irate Slade, twisted aside and stabbed Slade in the face. Slade’s armor took most of the force of the blow, the outer covering shattering, but somehow the inner layer remained intact.

So Slade didn’t suffer from explosive decompression on top of everything else. Gunnar looked back at his target, just in time to catch Saber’s punch full in the face.

"You _bastard_!" Saber raged.

Leaping forward, Saber stabbed Gunnar deep in the left shoulder, before flying past the evil Teknoman to try and help his brother. Gunnar, thrown off balance by Saber’s sudden reactions, struggled to reorient himself. He knew that the traitors would probably die before they reached the planet’s surface. Or they would perish when they hit the ground, given how fast they were both moving. _Either way, it’s no concern of mine anymore. Darkon will be pleased._

00111010

 _Not happening again. It’s Not! Happening! Again! I won’t lose him! Not Slade, not any more of my family!_ Saber flew, faster than he had ever flown before, faster even than when he had been fighting the Spider-crabs alongside his brother. Slade was still just ahead of him, but Saber was closing the distance between them with desperate speed.

Just out of arm’s reach now, Saber managed to put on one last burst of speed, just enough to get him close enough to put his right hand around Slade’s waist. Completely wrung out now, all Saber could do was attempt to slow down Slade’s descent in any way he could think of. His vision blurred, hanging on to consciousness by a few fraying threads, Slade was still able to sense the presence of his brother close by him.

Saber could see the ground rushing up at them, ground that they would hit like a meteorite unless he did something. Saber knew that Slade wasn’t in any shape to do anything about that, but Saber’s problem was that he wasn’t in much better shape himself. The ground was even closer now, and Saber could even see just where he and Slade were going to hit: it was an empty patch of desert, the kind that no one at all seemed to care about.

They were probably only ten feet up by now; only ten feet between them and the hard, unyielding rock and dirt. Less, now. Saber wondered if he would feel it when they hit, or if he would black out just before it happened, like Slade had. Six feet left… Five… Four… Three… Two… _One…_

The impact itself was a maelstrom, an endless instant of flying dust and exploding rock. As both their energy reserves reached critical, the twins instinctively transformed out of their armored forms in order to survive. All of the rage and the adrenaline that had been the only things keeping Saber from passing out were slowly but steadily draining away, leaving him weak and dizzy in their wake. He saw the ground coming up swiftly as if to hit him, and Saber knew that he was falling.

And then, after that, Saber knew nothing more…

0010010

Coughing, Saber spat. A small trickle of blood ran out of his mouth, Saber wiped it away with the side of his left hand. Looking at the unconscious form of his brother lying collapsed in the dust beside him, Saber noticed that there was a slowly growing puddle of blood forming on the left side of Slade’s head. Lifting up his brother’s body, Saber saw the shallow cuts that nearly bisected Slade’s left eye.

They _were_ in fact shallow, but they were also bleeding very enthusiastically. There was nothing that could be done for his brother out here, with no bandages and no water, Saber knew. Pulling Slade’s left arm over his shoulders, Saber slowly rose to his feet, wrapping his right arm around Slade’s waist to help steady him.

There was a thick cloud of dust that covered everything, making it harder for Saber to breathe than he would have liked. The cloud seemed to be getting thinner up ahead, but Saber thought that that could be just wishful thinking on his part.

11001100

Ringo Richards and Star Summers, who had been sent by the Space Knights to collect more samples of the alien plants that had sprung up all over the planet, stood staring into the deep crater that now graced the Arizona desert.

"Whatever it was, it must’ve been huge," Star opined.

"Yeah, just look at that crater. It must’ve been at _least_ a flotilla-class cruiser."

"Do you think there’s anyone alive down there?" Star asked, concerned for any human being who could be trapped at the crater’s bottom.

"No. I’m afraid not," Ringo said. "A crash like that would have vaporized everyone on board."

Just then, giving the lie to Ringo’s earlier assertion, moving shapes were glimpsed through the thick cloud of dust that had been thrown up by the impact. Before the dust cleared, all that could be seen was a large, blurry, moving figure. A breeze cut through the dust then, revealing that there were actually two people. Sliding down into the crater, Ringo and Star got as close to the two new… people as they dared. Now that all the dust was no longer concealing them, Ringo and Star could now see that the people were completely naked.

They were also both very obviously male, and Star made sure to keep her gaze above both boys’ waists. They both had long hair, even a bit longer than Ringo’s, but both of these boys had black hair as opposed to Ringo’s blonde. The one on the left was supporting the other one, who seemed to be bleeding rather badly. Finally, just as Ringo had pulled out his gun and was about to start demanding answers, both of them fainted.

The one on the right collapsed first, pulling down the other who had been trying to support him. Star rushed over to them. Ringo, thinking that someone who was unconscious and so badly injured couldn’t be that much of a threat, followed Star after holstering his gun.

"Who are they?" she asked.

"Beats me. Do you think they’re even human?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Star: they come walking out of a huge crater with nothing on, apparently no way of having gotten down to earth in the first place, and with no injuries on one of them. All those things strike me as being just a little suspicious. I mean, who’s to say that these two guys aren’t working for the aliens?"

"Ringo, that’s crazy. These two have obviously been through some kind of horrible experience. The least we can do is try to help them."

"All right, Star," Ringo said tolerantly. "Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ll go get some blankets from the Polaris, you just see if these two are more injured than they look."

"Right."

With a nod, Ringo turned and walked back over to the Polaris. He hadn’t been prepared to find anything like this when he had first been ordered to go and collect those much-needed samples by Commander Jamison. The rest of the Space Knights had either been busy or hadn’t been suited for the task, and Ringo knew that he had been asked to go out not only because he was the best pilot that the Space Knights had, but also because he had been pretty much at loose ends when they had needed him.

Stepping back into the Polaris through the aft door, Ringo stepped out of the airlock and came into the hallway that bordered it. There were two doors that could be used to get into the ship, but the other one led into the back of the cockpit, and the emergency supplies were stored in the mid-aft section. Once he was inside the room he had been looking for, Ringo made his way past the ration packs and picked up two of the neatly-folded blankets.

The blankets themselves were heavy cotton, good for insulating a person from the cold. There were only the two of them, to save space, but right now that was all Ringo needed. He wouldn’t have admitted it to Star, but he was just as curious about these two guys as she was. Ringo was just determined to be a little more cautious about them then Star was being.

Starting to carry the blankets back out to where Star was with the two boys, Ringo decided to take one of the emergency First Aid kits. After all, there _was_ an injured person out there, despite the fact that they could be working for the enemies that the Space Knights had been formed to fight in the first place. Hurrying back out to where the two boys lay, Ringo took a minute to scan the skies for any sign of Spider-crabs.

It wouldbe just like those annoying mutant freaks to show up when they weren’t wanted. But there was nothing in the sky at the moment but stars and the occasional cloud. Ringo strode quickly back over to Star and the two boys. Star had turned both of them over on their backs, and now Ringo could see that the one on the left was a lot paler than the guy who he had been helping to walk.

Moving over to the boy on the right, Ringo began to wipe the blood off of his face. There was more of it than Ringo would have liked, but the face itself didn’t seem to be too badly damaged. That was good, but whoever this kid was, he was going to have some scarring over his left eye. _Heck, he’s lucky he didn’t_ lose _his eye, whoever he is. I’m sure he’ll get over a little scar or two._

"So, aside from this, how are they doing?" Ringo asked.

"The other one has a deep gash, almost like a stab wound, on his right calf," Star said, pointing to the other boy’s leg. "It was deep enough to scratch the bone, but luckily for him it only did superficial damage beyond that. Even then, he’s not bleeding badly enough for the wound to have severed any major veins or arteries."

"Good for him," Ringo said, handing Star a bandage and an antiseptic wipe. "Well, after we get these two field-dressed and wrapped up, let’s head back to the base."

"Right," Star nodded, as she finished cleaning the other boy’s leg wound.

Once both boys were ready to be moved, Star and Ringo wrapped them up in the blankets and hoisted them up into their arms. Carrying them back into the Polaris, Ringo confronted his next problem. Ringo wondered for a minute where to put them so they would be both safe and out of the way. But then he saw that Star was strapping her guy into the chair right beside the one she usually sat in. shrugging, Ringo went over to the chair in the back right of the cockpit that was used for those rare occasions that the Polaris had an extra passenger.

Strapping the boy with the bandages on his face – who Ringo was henceforth going to refer to as ‘Bandage-guy’ until he figured out something better or until he found out the guy’s real name, whichever came first – into the chair at the back of the cockpit, Ringo walked over to the pilot’s seat and finally strapped himself in. Star had already strapped herself into her chair, so Ringo knew that it was safe for him to start the take-off procedure.

Lifting off in the Polaris without the use of the launch ramp back at the command center was hard, but Ringo had always welcomed the chance to demonstrate his skills at handling the ship. Some people might call it showing off, but Ringo had never really given much thought to other people’s opinions of him. He was just the type to do what had to be done.

And if he could have a little fun while he was at it, so much the better. Now, with the Polaris back in the air, Ringo found himself wondering again just who these two new boys were. They were both very similar looking, which could mean that they were either family or some kind of clones. But the fact that the two of them didn’t look completely identical gave more credibility to the former idea.

Ringo decided to leave the matter of the two boys’ identities until he and Star got back to the Command Center. Just as he thought that, though, the outer edges of the Space Knight Command Center came into view. _Well, that’s good. I like a minor mystery just as much as the next guy, but even I’m starting to get a little antsy._ Ringo looked over at Pale-guy, who was still asleep in the chair next to Star.

Then he took another quick look back at Bandage-guy. They both seemed to be pretty normal, aside from the outrageously strange manner that they had arrived in. In fact, it was almost hard for Ringo to think about these guys as anything but normal humans. Of course, that could all be part of the aliens’ plan, and these guys could have just been cloned from someone who had been killed in one of the hundreds of alien attacks.

Ringo always liked to consider all the possible angles of a situation before he made any judgments about it. He had often tried to apply the same kind of thing to meeting people for the first time, but he would be the first to admit that some people just rubbed him the wrong way from the start. As the Polaris hovercraft settled once again on terra firma, Ringo started turning off the engines and getting ready to disembark.

Walking over to Bandage-guy and unstrapping him from his seat, Ringo picked him up again.

"You know, whoever you are, you’re not exactly light," Ringo muttered.

Star, who was already carrying Pale-guy out of the cockpit, turned and gave Ringo a sidelong look. Ringo smirked at her, and Star rolled her eyes at him. Together they made their way into the base of the Space Knights, one of Earth’s best hopes for survival. _I just hope we’re not getting into something all of us are going to end up regretting. I have a lot of friends in the Space Knights, and I don’t want to put them in harm’s way any more than they already end up there._

With that thought, Ringo made up his mind to watch the two boys, just in case they turned out not to be trustworthy after all. Not stopping to talk to Maggie and Mac the way they usually did after a mission had ended had apparently raised some suspicions on the part of the two technicians. But Ringo and Star both made it to the infirmary before they had to deal with either of the techs.

Setting Bandage-guy down on a med-bed, Ringo watched as the doctors swarmed around him and Pale-guy. There was only one med-bed currently in the infirmary, and the things were a little too unwieldy to be moved with this kind of short notice, so the two guys ended up sharing a med-bed. There had apparently been some minor nicks and cuts on both boys’ chests, and one rather large one on Pale-guy’s left arm, that Ringo and Star had missed when they had first bandaged the two of them up.

It had probably been because both Space Knights had been more concerned with keeping the two boys from bleeding out through their major wounds than they had been with looking for any others. Apparently someone had thought to put in a call to the Commander, since he was the next one to come striding into the medical bay.

"What’s the situation?" Commander Jamison asked.

"Sir, we found these two boys out in the desert when we were searching out the samples of the alien spore plants that you requested," Star reported.

"Really?" the Commander looked over at the two unconscious figures in the bed.

They had been dressed in some spare Space Knight uniforms. Minus the shirts, vests and shoulder pads, of course. The two of them were also wearing slippers instead of standard-issue boots. Both of them were also hooked up to IV fluids by now, since it was pretty obvious that neither one was going to be getting up for awhile. Or at least that was the general assumption.

1101001

As he fought to regain some shred of consciousness, Slade found that he could still sense his brother Saber somewhere close by. As Slade started to come back to himself, he could now feel that he was lying on something soft and body-warmed. That didn’t fit with any of his earlier recollections, though, since the last thing he could clearly recall was being stabbed in the face by Gunnar and then being left for dead.

Trying to force his heavy eyelids to open, the first thing Slade realized was that he was completely blind in his left eye. _That_ woke him up faster than almost anything, and Slade barely had time to register the female voice that was speaking. Slade thought that the girl might have been talking to him, or maybe about him, but he was much more concerned with finding his brother and finding out where he was. In that order.

Sitting up, Slade tossed the blanket that he only now noticed off of himself. That it landed on the person standing next to his bed was an unexpected but not unwelcome bonus. The next thing Slade did was to pull out the tubes that someone or other had jammed into his arm; who knew what kind of chemicals they were trying to poison him with.

That was when Slade finally noticed that Saber had been lying next to him the entire time. His brother’s eyes were just starting to open, and Slade tore the IV line out of his arm as well. Lunging forward; knowing that he would be in a much better position to demand answers after he managed to take a hostage, Slade wrapped his right arm around the girl’s neck, trapping her against his body.

His left arm went around her waist, further restraining her and insuring that she wouldn’t escape before Slade had gotten some satisfactory answers. Naturally, Saber chose just that moment to wake up.

"Ohhh, my aching everything," Saber moaned, nearly making Slade smile at his brother’s melodramatics. "I swear, even my _hair_ hurts."

It was hard for Slade not to laugh, but the situation they were both in right now was a good reminder that this wasn’t the time for Saber’s rather strange sense of humor. Slade could only hope that Saber realized that, and soon.

"Where are we?!" Slade demanded of the nearest person, a blond in a strange looking blue flightsuit. "Who are you?! Do you serve the Radam invaders? Or are you loyal to the planet Earth?"

Hearing all this, Saber quickly got off the bed and stood behind his brother. Slade didn’t acknowledge him right then, but only because he was so completely focussed on finding out the information that could prove vital to the survival of himself and his brother. And to the Earth itself, of course.

"Radam? You mean the aliens?" the blonde man asked, looking confused.

"An answer! I want an answer!"

"Listen you jerk, we’re Space Knights! We’re fighting _for_ the Earth, not against it! If anyone’s the enemy here it’s you two, pal!"

"Is that so?" Slade demanded of the now-irate man. "Then how come we’re your prisoners? And what’s a Space Knight?"

"That’s something I’d like to know, too," Saber said warily.

"You’re in the Space Knight Command Center, boys. Not a prison."

It wasn’t the blond man speaking this time, but a far different voice. Whoever this new person was, they sounded like someone who would probably be in charge in a place like this. Looking up at the huge window that he had only just noticed, Slade regarded the older man with his one working eye. There was a bit of a resemblance to… to people that Slade had once known. But Slade quickly put that out of his mind.

That past was dead, the future was all that mattered now.

"How do I know you’re telling us the truth?"

"Tina! You’ve got to break free now! Get away from that guy!"

"Huh?" Saber muttered.

That had been a woman’s voice. Turning to look where it had come from, Saber saw that there was a young, pretty, dark-haired woman standing next to the older, albino man. For a moment, Saber wondered who she was. Then, hearing his brother’s grunt of pain, Saber quickly turned his attention back to what was happening in front of him. The girl, Tina, was running up to the blonde man whose name neither of them knew yet.

"All right boys," he said, sounding smug and a little hostile at the same time. "Fun and games are over. Who are you? What are your names?"

"Our names?" Slade asked.

"That’s the question," he reiterated.

"I remember someone calling me Slade. That’s all I can recall."

"My name is Saber. It’s all I know."

"That’s all?" Tina gasped, looking horrified.

"Who’s in command around here?" Slade demanded, ignoring Tina’s pitying look and the blond man’s wary hostility.

"I am, son," the albino said. Confirming Slade’s earlier supposition.

"Will you help us?" Slade asked.

"In what way?"

"We need to borrow one of your ships to get back up to the Space Ring," Saber explained. "We have some… unfinished business up there."

"Unfinished business? What kind of-"

The sudden blaring of one of the loudest, most grating alarms that either twin had been subjected to in all the time that they could remember cut into the albino’s question. For once, the twins were grateful to hear something unexpected. Neither had looked forward to trying to explain just what they were talking about.

"What’s that sound?" Slade demanded. Just because he was grateful for the interruption didn’t mean that he wouldn’t want to know what had caused it.

"It’s the Command Center alarm," Tina said. "It means there’s some kind of an emergency."

"Of course!" Slade exclaimed.

"The Radam invasion," Saber said, finishing his brother’s sentence.

"Bring our new friends along, Ringo," the albino ordered. "Come on."

 _Ringo, so that’s his name,_ Saber thought, as all four of them rushed out of the hospital-like room. They were hot on the heels of the albino and the woman, and Slade didn’t have long to wonder just where they were all going before they got there. ‘There’ was a huge room with a huge viewscreen, obviously the main center of operations for this Space Knight Command Center. What Slade and Saber saw on the screen was depressing, but not at all unexpected. For them anyway.

Armies of Radam Spider-crabs were landing all over the place, tearing buildings, tanks, fighter-craft and anything else that got in their way to shreds.

"What you are looking at took place two hours ago at Fort Rome. One of the largest bases in the Allied Defense Force."

"Not anymore," Saber said, almost sounding sad.

"You’re quite correct I’m afraid. It was totally destroyed," the albino said, sounding remarkably calm for someone who was giving that kind of news.

On the screen, another group of fighter-craft had just been destroyed by a single Spider-crab. The image then changed to a group of tanks, again confronting only a single Spider-crab. The tanks did about as well as the fighter-craft, and they of course met the same fate.

"These images were just received by coded relay from one of our few remaining orbital satellites. They indicate that the same pattern is being repeated all over the planet."

"What? All over the world?"

"Yes, Star. They’re attacking everywhere."

 _Star. That’s a pretty name._ Before Saber could have any other thoughts about it, though, Slade butted in.

"We’re wasting time just standing around here talking about it! Saber and I need to borrow one of your ships to get back up to the Space Ring!" Slade exclaimed, jumping in front of the albino commander.

"What makes you think we’ve got a ship?" Star asked Slade.

"You mean you haven’t?" Saber asked no one in particular.

"What’re you guys talkin’ about?" Ringo asked.

"What I’m talking about is stopping the alien invasion!"

"Unfortunately there are no spaceships on Earth, son," the albino said.

"What?!" both twins exclaimed at once.

"None?" Slade asked.

"That can’t be right," Saber muttered, and then bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything else.

"What happened to them all?" Slade asked.

"I’m sorry," the albino said, not sounding particularly sorry at all. "But at present that information is classified."

"That’s a lie!" Slade burst out suddenly. "The Space Knights must have a space ship!"

 _Tact, older brother. Remember what you always told me about having tact?_ Saber didn’t say any of what he was thinking, though. He and Slade were brothers, and they had to present a united front to these ‘Space Knights’.

"If we did, what would you do with it? What would you use it for?"

"What you’ve seen so far is nothing," Slade said, seeming to go off on a completely irrelevant tangent. "It’s only their advance force, testing your defenses. If you don’t attack their main force and reduce the odds before they reach Earth, you’ll never stop them! Humanity’s only chance to survive is to attack before they get here, while they’re still in space!"

"Why should we listen to you?" Ringo demanded.

"My brother knows what he’s talking about. And besides, what he’s saying makes sense, doesn’t it?" Saber asked.

"Yes it does. And yet, there are other things that don’t make sense at all. For instance, how did you two learn that the aliens are called Radam? And what makes you boys think that fighting them on your own will do any good?"

"Just give us a ship! There’s no time to explain! We need it now!" Evidently, Slade was not in the mood to waste any more time.

A huge explosion on the screen drew the attention of all the participants in the argument then.

"The new spaceship is ready," Tina said, coming in with singularly bad timing.

"New spaceship?" Saber said turning toward Tina, hopeful excitement just barely audible in his tone.

"New spaceship?!" Slade repeated, rushing over to where Tina stood and grabbing her by the shoulders. "That’s what you said, isn’t it?! Now tell me where I can find this new spaceship of yours!" Shaking the girl caused the bandages around Slade’s head to come loose, and he shook them off without a second thought. "Tell me!"

"Well," Tina said with a bit of difficulty. "The Blue Earth is in Hangar Three, I think."

"Finally!" Slade exclaimed, dashing out of the room.

"Thanks for all your help!" Saber said over his shoulder, running to catch up with his brother.

10100100

The blaring alarms came as somewhat of a surprise to both twins, despite the fact that they probably should have expected something like this to happen given the way that the Space Knights had reacted to their presence in the first place. _Though, I have to admit that we really didn’t do much to improve their opinions of us,_ Saber thought to himself.

"Code Red Alpha. Code Red Alpha. Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Destination: Hangar Three," a monotone female voice announced with such regularity that it suggested that ‘she’ was in fact a computer.

"Great," Saber groused. "Well _that’s_ going to make things harder for us."

They quickly came to a metal door. Slade rammed into it with his left shoulder, and Saber finished the job by kicking the door all the way open. Slade ran through first, while Saber quickly rebalanced himself. Slade was running fast enough that he almost tripped and fell headlong down the stairs, but he managed to right himself in time. Using the railing to vault down to the lower landing, Slade ran the rest of the way down the stairs.

Saber was now a few feet behind his brother, but he vaulted over the railing and managed to land on the lower flight of stairs, just a few steps behind Slade now. Both twins raced out of the stairwell and into the hallway that presumably led to Hangar Three.

The base was a bit confusing for someone who hadn’t been there before, and Saber couldn’t help thinking that that was the entire point of the design. Both he and Slade hoped that they would be able to find this ‘Blue Earth’ before the Space Knights’ security forces found them.

Saber’s spinning kick knocked one of Slade’s opponents to the floor, and Slade’s punch took out one of the others. There were still more guards, or personnel, or whatever they were to deal with, though. As Saber and Slade moved quickly through the corridor, Slade spotted someone who might be able to help them. It was a red-haired woman.

She was just sitting against the wall, apparently thinking that she would somehow not be noticed if she didn’t move. That plan was just about to fail, though. Grabbing her by the top of her purple overalls, Slade shook her violently.

"Tell me how to get to hangar number three!" Slade ordered. "Tell me!"

"Don’t tell him anything, Maggie!" shouted a Scottish-accented voice from just behind him as the woman, Maggie, cowered. "Come here, you!"

Saber, having fallen behind Slade in order to better protect his brother from anyone who might try to attack from the rear, heard the commotion and came racing over. He was just in time to see a large, burly, rather portly man grab Slade in a bearhug and lift him off the ground. _He’s strong. I’m going to have to be careful about how I handle this. I don’t want Slade getting hurt because of my carelessness,_ Saber thought to himself.

"No Mac, don’t hurt him!" Maggie pleaded. "I don’t think he meant any harm!"

Slade, being held up over Mac’s head, was in the perfect position to watch as Saber came charging to his rescue. He didn’t know exactly what his brother did to make Mac loosen his grip, but from Saber’s stance it had probably been one of his brother’s infamous high-impact punches.

"Sorry, but I have to go now," Slade said, slamming his head into Mac’s with all the force he could safely use. Back-flipping out of the man’s grasp as Mac started to fall, Slade landed back on his feet with the grace of a cat.

"Thanks," Slade said.

"Not a problem, brother mine," Saber acknowledged.

Turning back to Maggie, Slade once again grabbed her by the top of her overalls.

"Now, you’re going to tell me where Hangar Three is, or else," Slade threatened, Maggie moaned in response. "Tell me! Where’s Hangar Three?! Where’s the Blue Earth?!"

"Go out that door and take a left," Maggie instructed, pointing to a door down the hall in front of them. "You’ll find Hangar Three about a hundred yards down that hallway."

"Thanks!" Slade shouted as he ran off, following the directions that Maggie had given him. "Thanks a lot."

"Thanks again for your help! Sorry to scare you like that!" Saber called over his shoulder, following Slade.

As the twins turned left out of the door, then ran the hundred yards that Maggie had instructed them to, they came at last to the huge entrance doors to Hangar Three. Saber whistled softly.

"This is the place," Slade said confidently.

"Pretty hard to miss," Saber opined.

Punching the glass that protected the door controls, Slade managed to get the entrance to the hangar to open. Once the doors were open and the twins’ eyes had adjusted to the brighter lights, both of them marveled at the sheer size of the Blue Earth. After about a minute, though, Saber and Slade remembered that they weren’t here to sightsee. And that there were probably still people after them.

Both boys quickly made for the relative safety of the spacecraft in front of them. Inside, Slade grabbed two red and white jackets. Tossing one to his brother, Slade kept the other for himself. Saber, only now noticing that he was cold, quickly put the jacket on.

"Can you pilot?" Slade asked, as he passed the pilot’s station.

"Already on it," Saber said, plunking himself down in the pilot’s seat and zipping up the jacket as he did.

As Saber worked the piloting controls, Slade familiarized himself with the navigation of the Blue Earth. Starting the take-off procedure proved to be a little bit more complicated than Saber would have preferred, but he soon had the ship off and coasting up the launch-ramp.

"And we’re off," Saber commented. "I hope we make it back from this."

"Yeah," Slade muttered. "So do I."

There was a sudden lurch as the Blue Earth broke free from its pre-launch vehicle, and the usual high-g’s that were always a part of leaving or entering outer space. As the last scraps of the Earth’s atmosphere were left behind, the twins’ destination was thrown into stark relief.

"The Space Ring," Saber said with some satisfaction.

"Yeah, the Space Ring," Ringo, however, did not sound quite as enthused about their achievement, as he grabbed Saber by the collar of his jacket. "With all its weapons pointed right at us. And we have no way to defend ourselves! I hope you two hotshots are happy now."

"Get off me," Saber swatted Ringo’s grasping hands aside. "At least _we’re_ trying to do something about that."

"They’re zeroing in!" Star shouted, before Ringo could think of something else to say. She edged Slade out of his seat and quickly took his place at the navigation console. "Taking evasive action."

"So, what’re you two hotshots going to do now?" Ringo asked, sarcasm practically dripping from his words.

"You just keep this ship flying, if that’s not too hard for you," Saber shot back. "We’ll take care of the rest." Saber smirked at the look on Ringo’s face.

"Hey, it wasn’t my idea to attack these guys in their own back yard," Ringo protested. "There’s no way we’re going to survive for long against this kind of firepower. We’re getting out of here!"

The lasers on the Space Ring continued their barrage, and Slade nodded to Saber, signaling that it was time. Saber followed his brother to the doors at the back of the Blue Earth’s cockpit.

"Thanks for the ride, guys," Slade said.

"Yeah, too bad we can’t stay longer," Saber smirked.

"What, are you guys getting airsick on me now?" Ringo asked, not picking up on the seriousness of the boys’ declarations.

"Saber and I have to destroy as many as we can," Slade informed them.

"What’re you talking about? From inside the airlock?" Ringo demanded.

"That would be extremely stupid," Saber scoffed.

"We’re going to fight them out in space, Ringo," Slade said.

"That’s not possible," Star opined.

"There’s no oxygen out there, it’s a complete vacuum!" Ringo shouted. "You’d both be killed!"

"No, we wouldn’t," Saber said. _Not by the lack of air anyway, maybe by the Spider-crabs… Or Gunnar._

"You’re wrong," Slade said, backing up his brother.

"You wouldn’t have a chance!" Star shouted, trying again to dissuade them. "Don’t you boys understand?"

"You two are the ones who don’t understand!" Slade shot back, just before he opened the airlock doors and proceeded Saber into the only exit on the Blue Earth that hadn’t been locked shut when the ship had left the earth’s atmosphere.

Now standing alone together, side-by-side in the airlock, no words were exchanged between the two boys. It wasn’t for lack of time, not in this instance, but because there was no need. Slade and Saber both knew what they had to do. Now all that remained was to do it.

Slade held up his right hand, while Saber pulled his right hand out from his side in a way that would suggest that he was pulling something out of his pocket. Both Slade’s green crystal and Saber’s light blue one appeared within seconds of the twins having summoned them. Slade and Saber both held their crystals aloft.

"Tekno-power!"

The energy of their transformations filled the airlock, snapping and humming as their armor was recalled from its resting place. Still surrounded by the radiant energy of their individually colored crystal-fields, Saber and Slade both flew right out of the airlock and into space.

1001001

The first things that Ringo and Star saw, the things that let them know that something drastic had just happened, were the two strange… glowing things that shot out into space; flying just ahead of the Blue Earth. There seemed to be people inside them, one in each, and Star was the first one who thought to scan the airlock for any lifesigns. It was empty.

That was when both Space Knights noticed that the boys they had just met were somehow _inside_ those glowing energy shapes. The one that held Slade was a bright emerald green, and Saber’s was a bright sky-blue.

"Wow! That’s incredible!"

"I’ll say," Star added.

More incredible things were to come, though.

10100100

Being surrounded by a field of snapping, humming energy for the second time in a day was strange, but neither Slade nor Saber was thinking much about that. They were both focussed with single-minded intensity on the Space Ring lasers that were all aimed at them. As the armor finished reforming, neither twin could resist an urge to show off a bit.

"Teknoman Slade!" Slade announced, bursting out of his crystal-field.

"Teknoman Saber!" Saber announced, as he did the same.

Saber, remembering Ringo’s earlier crack, used his helmet’s radio to contact the Blue Earth. "So who’s airsick now, Ringo?"

There was no response, so Saber turned his attention back to the hordes of Spider-crabs that had come out to guard the laser arrays. _Either that, or they realized we were here and decided to try and intercept us._ Saber wasn’t thinking of the Spider-crabs then, since he knew that they were really too stupid to realize or decide anything on their own.

But Darkon, the one who made the Spider-crabs and the only one who could really command them, could make those kinds of decisions. As the swarm closed in around them, Slade and Saber charged at the monsters of Radam that were trying to keep them from reaching their goal.

"You Spider-crabs have had it!" Slade shouted.

"Activating Tekno-battle Mode!" the twins shouted simultaneously.


	2. The Invasion

Inside the Blue Earth, Ringo and Star watched in awe as Saber and Slade were enveloped within bright, glowing fields of energy. The energy fields spread out and took a shape that vaguely resembled a pair of birds. When they started attacking, causing the Spider-crabs to explode messily in their wake, Ringo decided that it was time to let Commander Jamison in on what was happening out here.

"Star, contact the Command Center," Ringo asked, concentrating on his flying just in case any Spider-crabs managed to make it past the twins. "I think it’s time we let the Commander know what’s going on out here." _And I just hope we’re not being jammed._

"Right," Star nodded. Turning to the radio located in the part of the console that controlled communications, Star contacted the Space Knight Command Center.

"Command Center, Tina here. What’s happening, Star?"

"Tina, is the Commander with you?"

Star got her answer a few seconds later, when Commander Jamison’s calm visage appeared on her screen.

"What’s the situation, Star?" he asked, calm as always.

"Sir, those two boys that Ringo and I picked up when we were on that mission this morning?"

"Yes, I remember them," Commander Jamison said. "They caused quite a commotion."

"Well, Ringo and I managed to board the Blue Earth before they could manage to take off," Star said.

"Yes, I can see that," the Commander said calmly, though not without a hint of dry humor.

Star, just then remembering that her transmission had a visual component as well as an audio, was chagrinned enough that for a moment she forgot to say anything. That was when Ringo decided to cut in.

"I don’t know what to make of these men, Commander. They’re a complete mystery."

"And neither of them have made any moves against you?" the Commander asked.

"No, sir," Star reported. "Only against the enemy."

"Could they be putting on some sort of act?" Commander Jamison asked, preferring to err on the side of caution.

"Negative, sir," Ringo said. "Nobody could put on that good an act."

"We’re monitoring the battle now."

"Boy, and is it ever exciting!" Tina said, clasping her hands together over her heart and grinning. "Those Teknomen are terrific! And oh, isn’t it absolutely rad when they’re beating the tar out of those Spider-crab monsters?"

"No need to go overboard, Tina," Commander Jamison said. "But I must admit, their battle prowess is very impressive. They could be our answer."

"Hmpf. Or our destruction," Ringo said.

"And what do you think of them, Star?" the Commander asked.

"Well, sir. So far I like them, but they’re still so mysterious."

"The question is, sir, what do you want us to do about them?" Ringo asked.

"That’s the problem," Commander Jamison said, sounding mildly put-out, though he didn’t look it. "We need these men. I want to be able to question them. So whatever happens, I want you to bring them with you when you come back to Earth."

"Understood, sir," Ringo said.

"Right, sir," Star said, as she ended the transmission.

01001001

Out in space, Saber and Slade were still carving their way through the hordes of Spider-crabs that were trying to hold them back. It was beginning to seem a little boring, to Saber at least. Slade didn’t seem to mind though. When they managed to land on the Space Ring, Saber looked out at all the fresh Spider-crabs that had come out to fight them and sighed. _It just never ends._

"So you’ve still got some fight left, huh?" Slade demanded of the Spider-crabs. They charged.

"I’d say that’s a yes!" Saber shouted.

Diving forward, both twins started blasting through the Spider-crabs that were now trying to surround them. Slade, seeing that the odds were not on their side, drew the separated halves of his teknolance and joined them together. Hurling his weapon like an oversized boomerang, Slade ran forward and caught it as it came down. There were now five less Spider-crabs there to attack them.

Saber pulled his hands apart, and a shaft of bright bluish-white light appeared between them as he recalled his own teknolance. Jumping off the Space Ring and igniting his rockets, Saber flew into the midst of a group of Spider-crabs. The slashes he was making with his teknolance and the way he was keeping himself out of the way of the Spider-crabs that were trying to attack him in return seemed almost instinctive to Saber.

It was strange, but Saber was glad that he wouldn’t be having to learn about his abilities while he was fighting. It was one more thing that the Radam had done to him. It was useful, but there was no way in hell that it went even one tenth of the way to making up for what they had stolen from him. It wasn’t even a consolation. All Saber was to them was a living weapon, these instincts just made that fact more clear.

Back on the Space Ring, Slade was having the same kind of experience. It was as if he knew just where and when to strike to be able to bring down the maximum number of Spider-crabs. As the twins slaughtered their way through the massed Spider-crabs that were trying to bring them down, neither of them had any idea that their performance was about to attract the attention of a man that they would both come to hate almost as much as Darkon himself.

10010110

Back on Earth, deep within the headquarters of the Allied Earth Military, the gathered soldiers were in a grim mood. None of the news that they had received from their surviving forces had been good, and not one of them was looking forward to receiving more of the same reports of losses to Spider-crabs. That was what made the footage they were watching on the main monitor so interesting.

It actually looked like the Spider-crabs were losing this time, and losing badly. There were a pair of human-sized figures of roughly the same configuration darting in and out of the formations of Spider-crabs with a grace that almost defied description, and most certainly defied belief. They both had weapons, and the Spider-crabs were being destroyed by the score in their wake.

"Patch me through to Earth Supreme Command immediately," ordered one of the higher-ranked officers who was watching the broadcast.

In another room, on a higher level of the base, the leaders of the Allied Earth Military were having a strategy meeting. It was the sixth one they had had this week, since all of them knew that they had to look like they were doing all that they could do to help save the people of Earth, no matter how hopeless the situation appeared to be. Right now they were on the receiving end of yet more bad news.

"Nothing can stand up to them, General," one of the other soldiers informed General Howard Bradly, the chairman of the military council. "I’m afraid that everyone on the Space Ring must be considered a casualty."

"Great Scott, Lieutenant. Are you telling me that the entire command has been wiped out?" Bradly asked, deeply alarmed. "That we have no defense at all against these creatures?"

"That is essentially correct, sir. No defense at all," Lieutenant Patrick Robertson said. "That being the case, my earnest recommendation to this committee is that we should warn the civilian population to take whatever measures they can for their own defense."

At that moment, another person came striding into the room where the military leaders were having their meeting.

"Excuse me Mr. Chairman, it’s code Baker," he said.

"Code B?" Bradly asked, surprised. "Put it on the big screen."

"I’ve already taken the liberty, sir," he said, turning toward the main screen as the video began to play. "This is a recording of the battle that took place on the Space Ring one hour ago."

The footage would have come as a surprise to anyone who was used to dealing with Spider-crab attacks: the Spider-crabs were actually losing for once. And losing pretty badly. All to a pair of humanoid beings that were barely half their size. All of the military personnel were shocked, but one in particular was already looking for a way to use this new development to his advantage.

His name was Xercese Gault, and he was always looking out for ways to build up his own power and increase his standing in the world. These two new creatures that were being shown on the monitor, tearing through the ranks of Spider-crabs like they were nothing, held a great deal of promise as far as the General was concerned. _Amazing, their powers are mind-boggling, and exactly what I’ve been looking for._ As soon as the video clip had ended, General Gault stood up.

"Now, I want an immediate investigation!" he ordered.

"We’ll get right on it, General," Lt. Robertson said.

110100101

Slash! Wham! Kaboom! These three words kept insistently repeating in Saber’s mind as he made his way through the ranks of Spider-crabs that were trying to kill him. He didn’t know just why he felt the urge to mentally add sound effects to the spectacle of Spider-crabs being chopped up into pieces by his and Slade’s lances, but since it wasn’t taking up too much of his attention to do so, Saber just let it happen.

It _was_ kind of funny, he had to admit.

_[Saber, the Blue Earth is in danger!]_

_[Huh?]_

Turning to look back over his shoulder, Saber saw that the Blue Earth was indeed in a great deal of trouble: they had been knocked out of their original position by a group of Spider-crabs, and were now falling down towards the Space Ring.

 _[Crap.]_ Shaking his head, wondering just which cosmic deity he and Slade had pissed off, Saber turned back to the Spider-crabs that were still coming their way. _[I’ll deal with them, you take care of the Blue Earth.]_

_[I will. Good luck, Saber.]_

_[Thanks.]_

Battering the ranks of Spider-crabs out of existence with his teknolance, Saber shot a look back over his shoulder. Slade seemed to have the situation with the Blue Earth well in hand, and oddly enough the Spider-crabs were all starting to pull back, so he broke off his attack and made for the safety of the Blue Earth. If he didn’t get some food in him soon, he was going to de-transform and pass out, probably in that order.

And out here, doing that kind of thing would be fatal in the extreme.

10010011

When they had rejoined each other in the Blue Earth’s airlock, Saber patted Slade’s shoulder to let his brother know that he was still there. That they were still together. The doors opened once the pressure had been equalized, and Slade walked into the ship ahead of Saber, protecting his brother the way he had taken to doing.

He didn’t really hear what Ringo said, but he saw the way the other man stepped in front of Star. It was as if he was trying to protect her, too.

His transformation couldn’t hold with all of the energy he had used up, and he ended up standing in front of Ringo and Star completely nude. He felt Saber falling against him, and knew from the feel of his brother’s skin that Saber was in the same condition as he was. As they struggled to stand, Slade tried to keep his brother from hitting his head on the unyielding metal of the deck.

"Why don’t you tell me just exactly what the two of you are?" Ringo demanded.

"I’m not sure," Slade got out, even as his knees buckled under him and he fell to the deck. Saber would have probably made some kind of joke, or at the very least a sarcastic remark, but he could see that Saber was barely conscious at the moment.

"What’s wrong with you two, anyway?" Ringo asked.

"Hungry; need some food," he said, cradling Saber’s head and watching for any changes in his brother’s condition.

"You’re hungry?" Ringo echoed, looking more disbelieving than anything. Then he shrugged, and he and Star came over to help them up.

Star was obviously still a little flustered by the fact that he and Saber were both still naked, but since there was nothing he could really do about that he decided not to worry about it. Getting Saber back to full health was the more important thing, anyway.

Once they were both back on their feet, Slade felt someone else’s arms around his waist, someone who he knew couldn’t be Saber.

"Ringo? What are you doing?"

"I might not trust you, Slade, but you’d just be in the way if you and Saber collapsed here. Besides, I don’t think Star’s quite up to handling the two of you right now."

Turning to look back at the nicer or the two Space Knights he’d been dealing with, Slade saw that she had turned to look at a spot on the wall, almost directly opposite where he and Saber were standing. It seemed like she was more flustered than before, but maybe that was just because he was starting to realize just what kind of an acutely embarrassing situation he and his brother were in now.

"I guess you’re right," he conceded.

"Good, now let’s get you two dressed before Star faints from blood loss to vital areas."

"Ringo!" said female Space Knight admonished; without even turning around, Slade noticed.

Slade could feel the other man offering a one-shouldered shrug, but more importantly he could feel that Saber was starting to revive. His brother was moving a bit more enthusiastically, which Slade was grateful for.

_[Saber, do you think you’ll be able to walk soon?]_

_[I just might be able to move my legs, whether or not I can walk… well, I guess we’ll find that out soon enough. Is it just my imagination, or is Ringo actually helping us?]_

_[I think he just wants us out of the way in case we fall over again.]_

_[Self-serving, mistrustful little bastard, isn’t he?]_

_[You were the one who said we didn’t make the best impression on them,]_ Slade reminded his brother.

_[You heard that?]_

_[Wasn’t I supposed to?]_

_[Not really, that was just a thought I had.]_

_[I guess I still have a few things to learn about this link of ours,]_ he said. _[From now on, I’ll make it a point not to actively listen in on anything you’re not trying to tell me.]_

_[I think that might help.]_

"All right, boys, end of the line," Ringo said, cutting into their conversation without really knowing he was doing so. "Pick out your uniforms and get out of my hair."

With those as his parting words, Ringo turned and left the twins standing in front of a small selection of folded Space Knight uniforms.

"You know, I could easily get to hate that guy," Saber said, as Slade started unfolding another of the stored uniforms.

"So could I," Slade muttered, as he heard the sounds of Saber starting to dress up. He decided that he might as well get to it himself; his stomach was going to rebel if he didn’t get some food in it soon, and he could just tell that he wasn’t going to get any if he went back into the Blue Earth’s main area naked.

Saber probably knew that just as well as he did, and that was most likely part of the reason that he hadn’t been quite as belligerent with Ringo as he otherwise might have been. The other part being his still-fairly-obvious tiredness of course.

Once they were dressed, and all the more hungry for the extra effort expended, Slade helped Saber – or Saber helped him; they were both tired enough that technicalities didn’t matter much at the moment – walk back into the main room of the ship.

"Food. Now. Please," Saber demanded, and Slade could just hear his reluctance to add that last word.

"Here," Star said kindly, handing both brothers something that looked like a fairly oversized granola bar. "These ration bars might not be the best tasting, but they’ll keep you going as good as anything out there."

"Thank you," Slade said, as he took the ration bars and handed one to Saber.

"Thanks a lot, Star."

He sat down at the table, with Saber following not long after; though his brother didn’t sit down so much as fall into his seat while he was already peeling open the wrapper of his ration bar. Once he had his bar open, though Saber had the advantage of starting on the wrapper first, Slade tore into it with gusto. His transformation and the subsequent fight had taken a lot out of him, and he didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know that Saber was doing the same.

"Well, you boys seem to have quite the appetite," Ringo said, smirking slightly.

"Our Teknomode is hyper-metabolic; we burn up a lot of calories when we use it," Slade said.

Saber, his mouth already full of the bite of ration bar he’d taken, simply made a muffled sound of agreement.

"Oh, I see. But you boys still can’t remember how you got that way?" Ringo asked, his tone making what could have been an innocent question into an insinuation.

Slade didn’t rise to the bait. "No."

And, with only a half-hearted glare to let the one man know that he’d heard what he said as well, Saber turned his attention back to his meal. Such as it was.

"Your memories will come back eventually, you’ll see," Star said, smiling in a warm and optimistic way.

Saber, whose estimation of her had been steadily rising since they had first met, found himself adding another point in her favor. Slade, however, wasn’t so easily moved. "Look, I don’t care how long it takes. All that’s important now is fighting the enemy!"

"I couldn’t agree more," Ringo said, grinning in a way that put neither twin at ease. "All we have to do now, is figure out who the enemy is. C’mon Slade, tell me about yourself; I’m sure you know your brother well enough to give us some kind of information about where you both came from. Are you two even human? And that transformation, how do-"

if he hadn’t needed all the nourishment that the ration bar he was eating could provide, Saber would have spat the half-chewed remains in Ringo’s face. It was like the man had nothing better to do than antagonize them!

"Yes," Slade snapped, cutting him off. "We’re human."

"Okay, so what kind of humans turn themselves into machines? Nobody _I’ve_ ever seen. Do you boys even have parents, or were you turned out on an assembly line with a bunch of other machines?"

The crumpled-up wrapper from the ration bar he’d just finished didn’t make the best projectile weapon, but it was the best that Saber could manage on such short notice. At least without taking off one of his boots. The bastard didn’t know just what kind of thin ice he was treading on, but that didn’t give him the excuse to be such an ass.

"I’m afraid that I can’t give you the answers you’re looking for; neither of us can. If either of us could remember, we’d tell you," Slade said; he’d gotten more controlled ever since… it had happened.

It was probably a good thing, but there were times that Saber couldn’t help missing the way things had been. But it was really best that he didn’t think about those times… they’d never come again, and he really wasn’t one for self-inflicted torture.

"Oh please," Ringo sneered. "That bunch of malarkey’s going to make my heart bleed all over the Space Ring. I’d better get a hankie before you say any more; I’m about to cry my eyes out."

"Shut your mouth, you jackass," Saber snarled, slamming his hands into the table as he rose from his seat to glare at the man antagonizing them. "We’ve put up with your crap ever since we met up, and I for one am sick of it. You know nothing about us; what we’re doing or what we’ve been though-!"

"But that’s just the _point!_ " Ringo roared, leaning farther over the table. "I don’t know anything about you! None of us do!"

"We don’t have time for this," Slade said, standing; Saber looked like he was about to attack Ringo barehanded. "Saber, come with me."

Turning, knowing that his brother would follow him wherever he went, Slade launched himself toward the Blue Earth’s airlock. It was time they found what they were looking for.

"Where do you two think you’re going? I’m not letting you boys out of my sight!"

They ignored him, of course.

101010111

Once they’d made into the inner sections of the Space Ring, with Ringo and Star tagging along close behind, Saber watched as Slade turned back to look at them again.

"Just how long do you intend to follow us?"

"As far as you boys intend to go," he said, sounding irritatingly smug, as usual. "I have orders to bring you two back to Earth."

"Well, come on, then," Slade said, sounding about as annoyed as Saber felt. "Let’s see what’s behind this."

The door opened soundlessly, revealing darkness to anyone with Human-standard eyes. But then it had been a long time since Saber’s eyes had been anything but those of a Teknoman; he could see the carnage beyond the doors. It didn’t affect him much; after what he’d been through, a few more dead bodies weren’t such an issue.

"Power’s out in this section," Ringo said. "Give your helmet light some more juice."

Star’s gasp of horror, even more than the sudden brightening, let him know that they had turned on their lights.

"This is even worse than I had imagined," Ringo muttered.

"Keep moving," Saber said calmly; he could hear them talking behind him, but he didn’t pay

much attention.

"I can’t believe it; the greatest scientific achievement ever conceived by the mind of man, reduced to an empty shell."

"Believe it," Slade said, in a tone that he had seen worse.

"Do you really think we’re going to find any survivors here?" Ringo asked. "Either of you?"

"No. I’m afraid there won’t be any," Slade said.

"I’d have to agree," he said, glancing around at the bodies floating in front of them.

"We’re here to find something else; I’m not quite sure what it is, but I’m sure I’ll know it when I see it."

"Terrific. _You_ wouldn’t have any idea what this mysterious thing we’re looking for is, would you Saber?"

"I have a vague idea."

"Oh. Well that’s just _great_."

"I think we’re getting warm," Slade announced, as they passed through another pair of doors.

Saber had to nod in response; whatever they were looking for, they were getting closer. He still didn’t know quite what it was, but it was connected to the Radam. Whatever it was, it _wasn’t_ going to be good.

Slade landed in front of a old, broken-down panel which actually, thankfully, still worked. Saber landed a few paces behind him, watching his brother’s back as he always did.

"Slade, what is it?" Ringo asked.

"It’s what the Radam are so determined to keep us away from," Slade said.

Bright light spilled into the corridor in front of them as the doors Slade had activated opened slowly. Saber squinted at first; the sense of whatever the Radam were hiding sweeping over him, he could almost put a name to it…

"What are you talking about, Slade? This is the Ring’s solar-power center."

But it wasn’t; there were Radam pods anchored to every one of the walls. They hung in the near center of the room; most of them looked like strange, purple potatoes. The one in the center was different, though. That was the only one that he sensed any danger from; it was calm for now, only registering as a sort of vague tickle, but he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be so placid for much longer.

"…Uh-oh."

"What _are_ those things?" Star demanded, horror struck.

"This is a spawning-chamber," Slade said, sounding almost as confused as Saber felt. "Something like a- like a…"

"Well?" Ringo prompted as Slade trailed off. "Something like _what_?"

"Like a hive…" Saber muttered, speaking more to himself than anyone else; this must have been some kind of residual information, left over from… that time. "…or a hospital," he said, again feeling that sense of foreboding as his eyes locked on the spherical pod in the center.

"I don’t know," Slade said. "For a moment I thought…"

Another twinge from his senses; another feeling telling him that they should get the hell out of here while the getting was good.

_[Whatever’s in here, Slade, we need to leave. Now!]_

_[I think you might be right-]_

"Get down!" As Slade knocked Star and Ringo to the floor, Saber dove down himself.

Before any of them could take another step, or even start to say another word, something fast and bright flew over their heads to impact on the far wall with a small explosion. It was one of Gunnar’s energy-arrows; there was no way he wouldn’t recognize _that_.

"What’s _that_?" Ringo demanded, obviously annoyed.

"Gunnar," Slade muttered, just loud enough for even the humans to hear him.

"Welcome back," the evil Teknoman said, and Saber could just tell he was smiling wickedly under that metal mask of his.

" _Gunnar_?" Ringo demanded, as if he was far more concerned about something trivial like that than about the fact that there was a vicious, homicidal Teknoman not ten feet away from them. "It has a name? Just how well do you know this creature?"

"We have to get out of here, now! There isn’t the time to get into any discussions."

"Sure there is, Saber," Ringo drawled; and he longed to smack the smirk right off the blond’s smug little face. "Why don’t you try me? I’m a very reasonable man."

 _I’d like to see some evidence of that,_ Saber thought.

"Maybe you are, but he’s not!" Slade shouted, even as Saber took up a guard position. "Come on, follow me! Come on, you two, through "

His instincts were screaming at him to move, but as long as Slade was in danger – and with Gunnar now fully out of the healing pod and heading for them, they were all in pretty grave danger – he was going to stand his ground. He couldn’t do any less; Slade would have done the same thing for him… they were all they had left. The doors slammed shut, sealing them in with Gunnar; but Ringo and Star were safe.

He didn’t care so much about Ringo, but Star was someone he thought he might have been able to form a friendship with. But it was too late for that now; one part of their past had caught up to them, it was time to deal with it.

"Save yourselves; get back to the ship and lift off," Slade said, in response to Star‘s pleading; he could understand it fairly well even through the muffling effect of the door, but it was almost drowned out by Gunnar’s laughter. "Take off; it’s your only chance. Get moving!"

Concentrating, Saber pulled his crystal out and held it; it was his lifeline at times like this. He might have hated the Radam for what they had done to him, the things they had taken, but there was really no disputing that the power could be useful at times. Times like this one.

"When I’m done with you two, I’ll crush your puny comrades like worms."

"You haven’t finished with us, yet," Slade growled.

The three of them exploded out of the windows; the doors sealed behind them automatically, which was a good thing or he would have worried about the others. Or at least about Star.

But now, they had more serious issues to deal with.

_[Saber, you circle around and take him from behind. I’ll handle things from the front.]_

_[All right. Just… keep your wits about you, Slade.]_

_[Yeah.]_

01000101

Slamming into Gunnar again, watching as Saber kicked him in the side, Slade raised his lance to deflect a blow from Gunnar’s bow. He’d already been cut once by that thing; he wasn’t going to forget it.

"Is that all you’ve got?" he taunted, trying to throw Gunnar off his game.

"Hardly!"

Splitting his lance, he deflected another thrust and then stabbed, mirroring the attack that Gunnar had made on him when they had clashed the first time. He didn’t know if it would leave the same kind of damage on Gunnar as it had on him, but it felt good nonetheless.

"Catch you later, Gunnar," he taunted, as Gunnar screamed and fell.

 _[Nice work, but I think we should get back to the Blue Earth,]_ Saber said. _[I think Ringo said he was having trouble with the engines.]_

 _[I remember,]_ he smiled briefly. _[Saber?]_

_[What?]_

_[Race you.]_

He darted off, turning his head to catch sight of Saber just behind him.

 _[I didn’t think you knew how to have fun like this anymore, Slade,]_ Saber said, laughter in his voice.

 _[I guess that shows what you know,]_ he shot back, laughing himself.

They were soon back with the Blue Earth, and she was clearly having some trouble.

 _[So, we just get behind and push?]_ Saber asked, sounding slightly dubious even as he followed Slade into position.

_[Yeah; I think all the she needs is a little jump-start.]_

_[Then we’re going to try and re-board the ship while it’s still in motion? I guess it can’t be too hard if Keanu Reeves could do it.]_

_My brother, the classic movie buff,_ he thought, rolling his eyes in fond exasperation. _[Just keep pushing, Saber.]_

As they kept shoving, putting all the strength they had into the task, Slade saw the rockets on the back of the ship – just between him and Saber – start firing for the first time. Sighing with relief, knowing that his brother would have seen it, too, Slade eased off. Then something twinged in his danger sense, the very same one that had warned him of Gunnar’s approach the first time.

He saw the green Teknoman again; standing atop a raised structure on the Space Ring, just drawing back his bow.

"Tekno-bolt!" he bellowed, as the charging process started; it finished quickly and he fired, taking most of his strength but vaporizing Gunnar’s arrow.

That was good.

01000100

Turning to watch Slade as he fired, knowing that his Tekno-bolt used up most of his energy, Saber swept him up quickly and made for the safety of the Blue Earth. The ship was heading back around for them; it was nice to know that Star was thinking about them. He’d have been willing to bet that she was the one who had wanted to help them.

Ringo was enough of a jerk to want to leave them behind, he knew.

010100111

Looking into the aft-monitor again, she could see Saber holding onto Slade’s waist and waving to them as they came for him.

"Saber, we’ve got you. Do you think you can make it to the secondary air lock?"

"Yeah, I should be able to squeeze in," he said, and she wondered for a moment just how he could communicate over the radio; but it wasn’t the time to think about things like that. "Thanks, Star; you know, for coming back for us."

"You’re welcome," she said, wishing that he hadn’t felt the need to say that. "Come on; get on board."

"We’re on; go."

"I’m going to go check on them," she said, setting the navcomp to keep them on course.

Ringo might have said something else, but she didn’t listen. Neither Slade nor Saber had come into the main hold of the ship; there had to be something wrong. Coming into the hold, the air lock sealed so she could get inside, she found both boys lying on the floor. She tried to ignore the fact that they were naked, she looked them over and tried to determine if they were all right.


	3. Power of the Space Knights

His head felt like someone had been using it as a replacement drum in a rock band, but at least he was in a bed. That was nice. Opening his eyes slowly, Saber struggled to remember just what had been going on; the battle with Gunnar had to have been resolved in their favor, the fact that Slade had blown the evil Teknoman away with his most powerful weapon notwithstanding, he wouldn’t have been waking up in bed if they’d been captured by the Radam.

In fact, if that _had_ happened it was debatable whether he or Slade would have been waking up at all.

_ Oh crap, Slade! _

"Commander, I think he’s waking up," said a bright, colorful blur that sounded like Tina.

Opening his eyes fully, Saber found that the blur did indeed resolve into Tina.

"Welcome back, son," Commander Jamison said. "You and Slade did very well out there; I would like to thank you boys on behalf of the Space Knights, and the Earth."

"You’re welcome, I guess," he said, not knowing quite what else to say.

_ [We’ve been invited to stay,]  _ he heard Slade say, and turned to look his way.

_ [That’s generous of them,] _ he said cautiously; he knew that neither of them were going to take the offer. It was just safer to have no ties, no weaknesses to be exploited; the only person he could ever really let himself care for was his brother. _[When are you planning to leave?]_

_ [After we get some food and supplies. We should at least be able to make it to some kind of a shelter before nightfall.]  _ Sitting up on the bed, one knee tucked under his chin, Slade was the picture of watchful silence.

_ [What about rest? I’d kind of like to sleep in a real bed at least once before we start moving again.] _

_ [These people… they seem to want us to protect them,] _ Slade said, his gaze discretely taking in the gathered Space Knights. _[Though I guess I have to admit, a bed would be nice.]_

_ [We could just stay for a day, then leave. It wouldn’t be as easy as getting out now, I guess, but I think it could be worth it.] _

1001001

He considered what Saber had just finished saying; the thought of a bed, not just a cot or a sleeping bag like they would find in one of the tent shelters that had sprung up all over the place, was tempting to him as well. But the thought of falling in with people like the Space Knights – people who had no idea what they were getting into when they chose to face the Radam, people who could very easily get close enough that their deaths would hurt him – wasn’t one that he liked to entertain. Saber understood that; that was why he wasn’t suggesting that they stay.

His brother just wanted a comfortable place to sleep. So did he, for that matter.

"Slade?" Commander Jamison’s voice broke him from his thoughts. "I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I would like to know if you and your brother have come to a decision yet."

"I guess we can stay," he said, speaking more to Saber than to the Space Knights’ leader.

_ [I see you’re glad to have a nice, warm bed yourself,] _ his brother said, and there was a ghost of his usual teasing smile playing about his lips.

_ [I guess I am.] _

"We’ll have quarters set up for you, then," he said, nodding sharply as his eyes passed over them.

Slade returned the nod without words, more concerned about what else he might be asked to do now that he had agreed to stay. Even if it _was_ only long enough to get food, supplies, and a warm place to sleep for the night. They didn’t know that he and Saber didn’t intend to stay; he could tell from the way they looked at them.

Even Ringo’s annoyance was indicative of that; he obviously thought he was going to have to deal with them for the long haul. He’d probably be relived when they were gone, though.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We should see about getting some food," he said, turning to look at his brother again.

"That sounds good," Saber said, nodding as he levered himself out of bed. "Where do you think we should go?"

Just as he was about to say something, the alarms – annoying in their shrillness – started to go off again.

"Of all the times for them to start attacking again," Saber said, sounding more fed up than truly angry.

He knew how his brother was feeling; he’d been looking forward to getting a good meal, too.

"No rest for the wicked, eh?" Ringo needled, standing in front of them even as they climbed out of the bed and headed for the main room.

It was best to get the talking over with so they could deal with the Spider-crabs that Darkon had to be sending out again. That was the only reason either of them could find for the alarms going off so soon after they had returned.

All but leaping out of the beds they’d been placed in, both twins made for the Command Center’s main room at high speed. Most of the other Space Knights had already gathered there, and of course Commander Jamison was there waiting for them.

"What’s the situation, Commander?" Star asked.

Neither twin was quite ready to consider himself a part of this organization, not after what they had been through, but they _would_ do everything they could to help. These people were still human, after all.

1001110

The pain… the pain had passed long ago, but this near-complete sensory depravation was almost worse. At least the pain could be fought, but there was nothing _to_ fight in this situation.

He was blind; his eyes sealed shut by what felt like a thicker variant of the slime that was imprisoning him in this pod. No sounds from the outside – if there were any to be heard in the first place – could reach his liquid-filled ears, leaving him in a void of silence that the blindness made all the more unbearable. The only thing he was left with was his sense of touch; his nose was filled with the same type of fluid as his ears, and he wasn’t about to open his mouth to try and taste it.

The feel of his heart beating steadily was the only sensation he was privy to; the fluid was at the same temperature as his body, to the point where it was easy to forget it was even there.

All of this would have been bad enough without the constant whispers in the back of his mind; the voices that kept trying to press him into accepting a name that wasn’t his. The name of a weapon; of one of Radam’s slave-warriors.

_ No; my name is Conrad, I’m Conrad Carter!  _ He screamed silently, defying the voice that was trying to tell him that he was Spear, and that Conrad Carter was dead. He was _not_ going to give up his life to be a servant to the very things that had already killed most of his friends and utterly ripped apart his family!

Still, in the back of his mind – almost unheard over the whispering voice – was the nagging fear that he wouldn’t be able to stand much more of this slow torture.

00100101

As they both helped to unload the boxes of supplies from the stack, carrying them into the Blue Earth’s hold and stacking them there, Saber had to laugh to himself. Here they’d been all concerned about another Spider-crab attack, and the alarm had turned out to be the general-alert. That was funny, if only in the sense that they should have been more curious about why the Space Knights hadn’t looked worried when they had come into the comm. room.

Still, it _was_ useful to know the difference between the emergency-alert and the general-alert. That had to count for something, even in spite of the fact that they weren’t going to be with the Space Knights long enough for it to matter; they’d already made plans to leave after this supply run was finished.

Once all of the crates and boxes had been stacked and secured in the hold, and after he and Slade had used the excuse of checking the bindings to get some time alone – Ringo might have been easy to hate, but Star was just as easy to like, and they couldn’t afford to stay in one place long enough to bond with people – Saber followed his brother back to the cockpit. They’d only have to deal with these people for this one day; not long enough to form the kinds of bonds that would hurt to break.

That was a good thing; both of them agreed on that point.

Once the Blue Earth was back in the air, carrying the cargo that the Space Knights needed to continue their operations out in the Arizona desert, Slade found his attention captivated by the landscape passing by underneath the craft. He and Saber were going to have to cross that terrain when they inevitably left, so it was best to know what they were going to be dealing with beforehand.

"All right, kids," Ringo said, with the air of someone anticipating something fun. "Hold onto your lunch!"

Slade barely had time to wonder just what the man was going on about, before the force of sudden acceleration slammed him back into his seat. He heard Saber grunting behind him, and swearing fairly colorfully in the privacy of his own mind, before he made a point of reestablishing the mental walls he’d been working to construct. It was starting to look like the only way they would get any real privacy when they were in close proximity was to block out the thoughts that always seemed to want to slip into each other’s minds.

He and Saber had both agreed to work on that while they were packing the crates into the Blue Earth’s hold. It was the only way either of them were going to be able to avoid going crazy.

They soon arrived back at the Space Knights’ command center. None the worse for wear despite what felt like Ringo’s best efforts. Catching up with Saber while the two of them walked – along with Ringo and Star, but neither twin paid them much attention – he touched his brother’s hand briefly as he passed. Of course, Saber wasn’t going to let him go with just that.

Squeezing back as Saber held his hand, Slade was forced to let go as they descended the Blue Earth’s boarding ramp. When they rejoined each other at the bottom of the ramp, Slade heard Star calling to him. Saber seemed to like her, insofar as either of them would allow themselves to like anyone, so he decided to be civil.

"Hey, we’re going to go get some chow, either of you want to come?"

"I’m really not hungry, and besides Saber and I have a lot of stuff to do. Thanks anyway," it sounded good, at least he hoped so, and anyway the most important thing was that they get out of here before the Space Knights could try to recruit them.

"How about you, Saber?" Ringo asked, either not getting the point or thinking he could convince one of them to do what the other wouldn’t.

"I’m not very hungry, either. Thanks, though."

"You sure? Ringo’s buying!" Star called, probably thinking that would entice them when both twins had made it clear that neither of them wanted anything to eat.

Or anything more to do with them, but they seemed to be ignoring _that_ , too.

"I already said we don’t want any."

"Slade?" He turned at Jamison’s voice, to see the man coming towards him with Tina alongside. "I was wondering if you or your brother would be willing to undergo a thorough MRI analysis."

"Why?" he asked, mildly curious but not wanting to be delayed if he could help it.

"Dr. Fraun says it could help us uncover the source of your power," Tina said, smiling and obviously enthusiastic about the idea for some reason.

"So what?"

"Well, if either of you knew the source of your powers, then you could give me some," she continued with a laugh and a wink.

Slade winced internally; it wasn’t hard remembering just how they had gotten these powers. And how much he’d have been willing to give not to have gotten them in the first place. He knew his brother well enough to know that Saber agreed with him.

"Not to be too blunt about things, but if you knew anything about us, you wouldn’t say stupid things like that," Saber said.

Turning to catch up with his brother, Slade decided to ignore anything else that any of the Space Knights tried to say to him. None of them knew anything about what either of them had gone through, so it was almost inevitable that they would poke at old wounds. He didn’t have to like it, though; or even deal with it any longer, since both of them were going to be leaving soon.

"This isn’t something I would be asking you if it wasn’t important," he could hear Jamison saying. "But the Earth’s continued survival might very well depend on what we can learn from the two of you. However, only one of you would be required to undergo the MRI scan. The other would be free to do what he wanted."

_ [What do you think, Slade? I know you said that you wanted to get out of here, but I’m in favor of anything that causes trouble for the Radam.] _

_ [So you’re saying you think we should stay for this?] _

_ [Yeah; just long enough for them to get some information. Who knows, they might even be able to make our lives a bit easier if we give them what they’re looking for.] _

_ [All right,]  _ he said, seeing the logic of his brother’s argument but wishing for a moment that he hadn’t. _[We’ll stay long enough for them to find out what they want to know.]_

Turning even as Saber did, Slade faced the Space Knights’ commander. "All right, I’ll go with you."

"Thank you, son," the man said, turning as both he and Saber fell into step behind him. "Which one of you would be willing to undergo the MRI?"

"I will," he said firmly, knowing that Saber would appreciate the gesture and also knowing that his brother wasn’t one for lying still unless he had to.

Saber would probably fidget through the entire thing; his brother wasn’t really the type to stay still for any length of time when he was bored. And something like an MRI scan wasn’t really the kind of thing Saber would consider interesting enough to sit still for. Slade let Jamison lead him away, and saw Saber falling into step with them as the left; he’d suspected that his brother wasn’t going to leave him to face something even as mundane as an MRI without some kind of moral support, but it was nice to have it confirmed.

1101010

The sensory-deprivation, as nice as it had been when compared to the pain he had been through while they were trying to make him into one of their warriors, was becoming almost the same kind of torture he’d been put through before. He hated the Radam; everything about them was sorrow and pain and rage, and all they left behind was devastation and slavery and misery. Conrad knew, beyond any possibility of doubt, that he had to hold on to that hatred. It was the only thing that kept him out of their hands.

Everything else was starting to slip away from him, even the memories of home that he had once treasured so much, and he was left with only feelings and impressions. He couldn’t love something he was having trouble even _remembering_ , but he could hate the Radam for what they were doing to him. He could hate them for the pain they had inflicted on him.

And he could _certainly_ hate them for what they were trying to turn him into; that hatred was his lifeline, and he was going to cling to it for all he was worth. It was all he had left.

11100100

When Tina had asked for his teknocrystal, Saber had been reluctant at first. It was, after all, his only real means of defending himself from the Radam. Still, when she had told him that she needed it so she would have a second one to compare with Slade’s, he had recalled his and handed it over. If Slade was willing to trust these people with his only real means of defense, than he couldn’t really do anything less.

_ [How are you doing in there, Slade? They treating you well?] _

_ [I’m fine,] _ his brother said. _[The bed they have me on is actually pretty comfortable. I’ll tell you when they’re done, so we can leave.]_

_ [Yeah. I’ll be right with you when we do.] _

_ [You always are.] _

Smiling slightly at the warmth in his brother’s silent voice, Saber leaned against the wall and waited for either Tina to come tell him that she was done with his crystal, or for Slade to say that he was done with his MRI. Whichever came first. He kind of wondered what these people would do once they were gone, how they would cope with the Radam once he and Slade had left.

It wasn’t a fair situation to leave them in, but then fate wasn’t particularly fair in the first place. It had certainly made _that_ abundantly clear when… sternly, Saber reminded himself that he wasn’t going to think about things that couldn’t be helped. It was what he and Slade had both agreed on.

"Saber," the calm voice of Commander Jamison greeted him, as the man walked up to him.

Slade was beside him, and Saber’s eyes focused instinctively on his brother. _[Oh, so you’re going to contact me when you’re done, eh brother?]_

_ [Believe it or not, I actually fell asleep.] _

_ [Why does that not surprise me,]  _ he sent back, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "So, how did things go?" he asked.

"Not as well as I would have preferred, I’m disappointed to say," Jamison stated, sounding almost as neutral as he always did. "We do have a baseline reference now, so if you were to volunteer for the MRI yourself, I’m sure we’d have a better chance of understanding just what it is that we’re fighting."

Saber cringed internally; the thought of lying still in a dark tunnel while his body was blasted with invisible rays wasn’t really one that he liked to entertain. Conrad had always told him- but Conrad didn’t exist anymore. He and Slade were on their own; but that still didn’t mean that he had to put himself into uncomfortable situations just to spite a memory.

"I don’t think Saber would be willing to put himself through that," Slade said, knowing just how much he wouldn’t like that. "Still, you people _are_ done with us, right? We can go?"

"You boys were free to leave anytime you liked," Jamison said calmly, and Saber started to wonder idly if anything at all could faze him. "I only hoped that through you, we could understand the evil that we are up against. But could you both look at one last thing before you leave?"

"Guess so," Slade answered, after looking to him for a second opinion; he’d shrugged in response. It wasn’t like they really had any pressing engagements elsewhere. "Will it take long?"

"That depends on you two," Jamison said, turning and hitting a button on a keypad next to the door.

What they saw in the room beyond the door was something that neither twin had wanted to ever see again; even though they had both suspected that they would.

"Teknopods!"

"Excellent," Jamison said in response to the double-voiced shout. "You boys have lost most of your memories, but you both still recognize these monstrosities. Now, I think that you boys could very well be the key to unlocking the mystery of these things."

"How’s that?" Saber asked, seeing that Slade was too busy glaring at the tanks filled with immature teknopods to notice that there was someone talking to him.

"All we know is that these pods began raining down and taking root on Earth at the same time that you two arrived," Jamison said, laying his hand on the tank of pods. "We dug these up near the capital and brought them here to be analyzed. They are completely unlike any carbon-based plantlife we have ever seen. Although they haven’t caused any problems, I’m afraid of what they might be capable of in the future. I’m asking you boys to please stay and help us uncover the mystery of these things, but you are free to go now if that’s what you both want."

"What about our crystals?" Slade asked, wary as always.

"You’re free to take them," he said, obviously speaking to both twins. "They _are_ your property."

"Thanks," Slade said, seeming mollified for the moment. "We’ll need them," he said, opening the glass container that held his and his brother’s teknocrystals. "You see, Saber and I have a score to settle."

"So, I guess this is where we part ways," Saber said, catching his crystal as Slade tossed it to him. "Take care of yourselves," he said, as Slade came up beside him and bumped the back of his fingers; they would hold hands once they were out of the room, he knew; better not to reveal any weaknesses when they could avoid it.

"Maybe we’ll see each other again some day," Slade said, his tone giving away just how unlikely he considered _that_ scenario to be. "Take care, sir. I wish you and the Space Knights the best of luck."

"Slade? Is this a private battle, or can anyone fight?"

He and Slade both turned to look over their shoulders as Jamison said this. Neither of them quite knew what to think; they had never expected to be offered help so brazenly.

"Try not to let your anger cloud your judgment. You boys don’t have to fight this menace all on your own; we could work together," he paused, even as he and Slade turned fully around to relieve the kinks in their necks before they could get really annoying. "You may have the power, but we have the technology and the equipment. We’d be a heck of a team," he said. "Almost unbeatable. Would you two be interested?"

"We’ll think about it," Slade said, and Saber knew from his tone that he was being at least somewhat sincere.

He _would_ probably think about it; for about half a minute, before he dismissed the idea as being too dangerous. Not only for these Space Knight people, but for them; it wasn’t safe to have ties of friendship when you were fighting the Radam. Both of them had learned this the hard way, and both would remember the lesson.

When the door hissed closed behind them, leaving Jamison to do whatever it was he did during the day, he and Slade clasped hands and continued on their way. It would have been nice to have at least some kind of a home-base, even though they would never really have a home again; even _he_ wasn’t hardened enough not to be able to admit that. And he didn’t think Slade was either.

Still, there was too much at stake for them to settle down somewhere; he wasn’t stupid enough not to see _that_ , either.

"So, how far do you think we are from an exit?" Saber asked idly.

"I guess we’ll have to find out the long way," Slade muttered, clearly annoyed with their current predicament.

"Well, at least this way’s better than asking people for help. I don’t think they’d be happy to know that we’re going to leave them for good."

"They’d try to stop us," Slade said flatly, as he continued moving closer to that large room at the end of the corridor.

It might have been an exit, or it might not have; either way they were going to find out soon.

0001001

Watching Star as she took down the last of her opponents for the day, Tina smiled as she heard the man throw in the proverbial towel. He’d managed to last one round longer than the others, so that was likely to be a point of pride for him, but after five rounds against Star, anyone could be forgiven for giving up. Tina certainly knew that _she_ didn’t have the skills to compete against Star in any kind of a combat situation.

"Wow, Star’s timing was great today," she commented, smiling over at Ringo.

"Speaking of timing, hey boys!" Ringo called, as Tina saw that Slade and Saber were coming into the room with them.

"Aww, too bad you guys weren’t here," she said, turning to face them. "You missed a great show. Star was terrific."

"Sorry we missed it," Slade said, and Tina chose to ignore the fact that he didn’t sound all that sincere. "But Saber and I had to talk to Commander Jamison."

Saber, for his part, didn’t seem interested in saying anything, and was in fact standing about a foot behind his brother.

"So, I take it you guys have decided to stick around for awhile," Ringo said, and Tina smiled.

"Of course!" she exclaimed happily. "They can’t leave now; we’re all just getting to know each other."

"Tina," Ringo said, sounding like he was trying to be reasonable. "They don’t have to stay here if they don’t want to."

"Well, I think it would be great if you two stuck around," Star said, and Tina smiled. "We could use some new blood around here."

She kind of wanted to stick her tongue out at Ringo, since now he was outvoted and she would get to hang out with a pair of real life superheroes, but since she’d been trying to take things a bit more seriously since the aliens had invaded, she didn’t. Then, Slade spoke up again.

"Thank you," he said, and she wondered why he didn’t sound very happy at all. "But, making us your friends isn’t a very good idea. The people we get close to don’t seem to live very long."

She couldn’t understand why anyone would say something so… _morbid_ , but Slade and Saber left before she could ask either of them what they had meant by that.

"What’s with him?" was all she could say.

"Hey, who knows," Ringo said with the air of someone who didn’t really care. "He’s a strange one, that’s for sure."

_ Yeah, strange, _ she mused. Strange, and a bit sad, or at least that was the feeling she had. Something told her that both of them were sad, but she didn’t know what about; she didn’t know if she would ever have the chance to find out, either.

0100010

When he felt Saber squeeze his hand lightly, Slade almost smiled. Even if there were people out there who didn’t understand why they did what they had to – people who wanted them to stay here in spite of all the danger that that presented to both sides – he still had his brother to stand by him. Slade didn’t quite know what he’d be like if Saber hadn’t… escaped from the transformation process when he did. He didn’t know, and he honestly didn’t _want_ to know.

Saber was with him here, now, and he wasn’t going to waste time thinking about how things might have gone otherwise.

When they reached somewhere that looked like a large hangar, the first thing that Slade noticed was the large, imposing bulk of the Blue Earth. Silently cursing his bad luck, and the generally confusing nature of the base, Slade sighed.

_ [Well, I guess this  _ wasn’t _the right way to go,]_ he said.

_ [Well, it’s not like we have any maps of this place or anything,] _ Saber said reasonably. _[So it’s pretty much expected that we’d get lost like this, especially with the way they completely forgot to provide any guides. Not very friendly to tourists, are they?]_ Saber chuckled mentally. _[I mean, what would it cost them to put up one of those mall maps that says "you are here"?]_

He chuckled softly. _[I might be going out on a limb here, but I don’t think tourism is a big issue for these guys.]_

_ [Yeah, probably,] _ Saber conceded, still smirking a bit. _[Still, that doesn’t mean they can’t be accommodating. I mean, not everyone can have a photographic memory.]_

_ [I guess you’re right,] _ he said, turning his attention outward to take in their surroundings again.

Now that he was really _looking_ at the place, he found that it looked like some kind of huge, high-tech garage; only with space ships and some guy in a robot-suit working on them. He’d seen a few of those suits back- _before_ , but that wasn’t what he was concentrating on right now. What they really needed at the moment was an exit.

Just as he and Saber were turning to leave, though, the man who was working there – the same one who had attempted to crush the life out of him not two days ago – called out to them.

"Hey lads, what brings you two all the way down here?"

"Looking for a way out, in fact," Saber said, before Slade could think of anything to say. "You think you might be able to help us out?"

"I’ve been working here for more time than I care to recall right now," the large man said wryly, then he became serious. "Still, why are you lads looking for the exit so soon? I was told that the Commander himself offered you a place here."

Saber would have probably been able to fast-talk their way out of this, he was better with people than Slade was, but what Slade wanted more than anything was just to leave. Some things were best handled bluntly.

"We actually _are_ looking for a way out," he said, folding his arms and glaring slightly at the man. He didn’t know if this guy was going to try talking him and his brother out of leaving, the way the others seemed determined to do, but he wasn’t going to stand for it. "Saber and I are going to be leaving after today, and I wanted to know the location of the main exit, so we wouldn’t have to waste time looking for it tomorrow."

"That makes a certain amount of sense, I suppose," the man concluded gruffly. "Still, I don’t understand; you lads have a terrific group of people welcoming you with open arms, and you don’t even want to stay."

"Oh, the _people_ are fine," Saber said, smiling slightly. "We’ve got nothing against the people here." _[Except maybe Ringo,]_ he added silently, as Slade swallowed a laugh. "It’s just… you wouldn’t understand."

"You’re right, I don’t," the rotund man said, sounding concerned. Actually, genuinely concerned; it was surprising. "What’s the worst thing that could happen if you two stay?"

"All of us might start caring about each other," he said flatly, leaning against the Blue Earth’s extended landing gear.

"If you ask me, it sounds like a risk worth taking," the man said.

Slade folded his arms, annoyed at this – the latest in a long line of people who all wanted him and Saber to stay here and protect them.

_ [They don’t know what they’re asking us to do,] _ Saber said, squeezing his arm softly; Slade bit back a smile.

He didn’t want to have to explain what he was feeling so pleased to someone who wasn’t – and never would be, if he had any say in the matter – part of the small piece of family he was fighting to keep by his side. It wouldn’t help anything, and it would likely only make leaving all the more complicated. It was just best not to bring things like that up in the first place.

"We should go," he said, and Saber nodded slightly as the two of them stepped away from the landing-gear and left the dry-dock behind.

_ [Well, that was a big bust. And not the good kind, either,] _ Saber said, folding his arms behind his head and stretching as he walked.

_ [Saber, you know when I told you I missed your subtle double entendres?] _

_ [You never told me that, Slade,]  _ Saber said, turning a slightly fish-eyed look on him.

_ [That’s because I really don’t,] _ he said, giving Saber a not-so-gentle, brotherly punch on the shoulder.

_ [You just have no appreciation of fine humor,] _ Saber said, punching him back.

_ [I like a good joke just as much as the next guy.  _ You _just never have one,]_ he returned.

Saber swatted him for that, but they were both smiling; both of them knew that neither of them meant anything by their little jibes. They would stay together through anything; not even all of the forces that the Radam could send against them would force them apart.

01001000

As they made their way through the base, searching for the exit in a place that had initially looked more promising than the one they’d been in when they’d inadvertently met that big guy working on the Blue Earth, both brothers looked up as a loudspeaker started blaring.

-"All Space Knight personnel, including Slade and Saber, report to the control room immediately,"- Jamison’s voice blared out over the loudspeaker, calm as it always seemed to be. 

The announcement, and the request that didn’t sound quite like any kind of request that Saber had heard so far, was repeated twice more, and he heard Slade sigh in what had to be profound annoyance.

"So?" he raised an eyebrow, knowing that his brother would understand what he was getting at.

"We might as well answer it," Slade said. "Who knows; maybe Jamison can tell us how to get _out_ of this maze."

"All right then," he said, taking his brother’s hand as they made their way back to the main control room.

He didn’t know just what was going on, since neither the general-alert nor the emergency-alert had sounded before Jamison’s little announcement, but he hoped that it would give them a chance to find an exit from this labyrinthine command center that the Space Knights had set up for themselves. He knew that Slade was hoping for the same; they were leaving today, no matter what else happened.

01000100

When the various Space Knights began to join them in the halls, all moving in the same direction, Slade couldn’t help but wonder just what was going on. It wasn’t the general-alert, and he couldn’t help the feeling that he and Saber would have been the first to know if there had been another Radam attack, but something about this situation… he wasn’t getting the feeling that this had anything to do with the Radam invasion, but he didn’t get a _good_ feeling about it, either.

Humans couldn’t be as bad as the Radam, though; even Ringo at his worst couldn’t manage _that_.

It was the one truth that he knew, the one thing that kept him going: even with all their faults, humans were worth fighting for. The Space Knights proved that, and even if he wasn’t going to allow himself to get close to any of them, Slade would still do his best to protect all of them. He and Saber had both made that vow.

As they filed in through the door, side-by-side since these doors were wide enough to allow for that, Slade caught his first glimpse of the tableaux on the other side. It wasn’t a promising one. There were several men with guns, standing in front of Jamison and obviously holding him back from doing anything.

There was also a bald man in the room who all the attention seemed to be focused on; Slade didn’t like to think he was one to make snap-judgements, but the bald man looked like trouble.

"Ah, there they are!" the man exclaimed, sounding pleased, and smiling in a way that did nothing to put Slade at ease. "The two young men I’ve heard so much about: the Teknomen Slade and Saber!"

"Yeah, it’s us," he said. "What’s going on here, Commander?" he asked, wanting to keep as much professional distance as he could between himself and all of the military – or military-style – people in the room.

"It’s really quite incredible," the bald man said, getting into his personal space, and then grabbing his chin to top it off! "Such power at such a young age."

"Hands off, jerk!" he snapped, slapping the bald man away from him with more force than was – perhaps – strictly necessary.

"Well now, a lot of fire. I like that." Judging by the look he gave Saber shortly after he said that, his brother had probably kicked the man’s ankle; Slade would have thanked him, but there were clearly more important things at stake right now.

Neither of them could afford distractions.

"This gentleman is General Xercese Gault, of the Allied Earth Military," Jamison said. "To deal with the Space Ring emergency, he has come here demanding that I relinquish my control over you two, as well as the Space Knights in general, to the military."

"What’re you talking about?" Ringo demanded. "On whose authority, Commander?"

Before any answer could be given, the large main screen activated, displaying a man that was so clearly a soldier, Slade knew before he spoke that he was working for Gault. "No change in trajectory, General. Troops, and all armored vehicles are in place, sir!"

"Excellent," Gault said, and Slade realized that he could very easily come to hate this man. "Remain on standby alert."

"So _that’s_ the story," Ringo said, sounding – if anything – mildly disgusted. "You’re trying to force us into taking your orders!"

"Not you," Gault said smugly. "It’s your Teknomen I want."

"They’re not just some property that you can barter for!" Ringo snapped, and Slade was surprised to hear the man who seemed to hate them being so passionate in their defense; maybe he just hated the military more. "I say those boys are free to do what they want."

"Your opinion is of no consequence," Gault said, sounding even more smug than before.

Ringo stiffened slightly, and didn’t say anything else.

"Listen, Slade," Jamison said, coming over to speak with him more personally. "You and your brother don’t have to cooperate if you don’t want to; the Space Knights will back you up no matter what."

"Thanks," he said, feeling warmed by the sentiment; even if they weren’t going to be staying, it was still nice to know that there were people they could count on to support them. "But I think that _they_ should be the ones to cooperate; with _us_. You see, if me and my brother don’t go along with this plan of theirs, there’s nothing they can do about it; they won’t have the power to accomplish whatever mission they set out on. It’s our way or no way."

"Basically, we don’t take orders from _anyone_ ," Saber sneered at Gault. "And especially not from the military. Now order your troops to stand down, _General_ ," Saber said, his tone making the title sound like an insult. "And then apologize to Commander Jamison."

"Would you like me to silence him, General?" one of Gault’s goons asked.

"Go right ahead," Saber taunted, smirking. "Just so you know, though: if you kill me, my brother’s going to slaughter you all before you can blink."

That might have been an exaggeration on his brother’s part, but they both knew that the sentiment behind it was true. He _wasn’t_ going to lose any more of his family. No matter what.

Gault snarled like a cornered tiger; a really ugly one. "I’m tired of this game. Fire!" he shouted, depressing what was obviously the transmitter button on his comm-link.

The room shook and rumbled, and Saber moved closer to him so that they could each draw a little strength from the other’s closeness.

"As you can see, I’m not bluffing!" As if any of them would have thought he was; as if any of them were that stupid. "Well, Jamison? Are you going to cooperate, or do I destroy the command center?" There was no response; he had to respect Jamison for not giving in to this General’s strong-arm tactics. "Answer me!"

"This is insanity!" Jamison exclaimed at last. "You have no authority here; the military can’t force Slade, or anyone else, to work for them."

Gault just scoffed in response. "We’ll see about that! All units, begin Phase Four of the attack!"

Phase four seemed a lot like phase three, as far as Slade could tell. There was probably more to it than just what he was seeing, of course, but the rumbling didn’t seem to be any worse, and no more than loose dust and other things of that ilk were falling from the ceiling.

_ [Talk about your sore losers,] _ Saber groused, and Slade had to bite back a chuckle.

_ [I know; some people just don’t know when they’re not wanted,] _ he said, for once having no double meaning to his words; the Space Knights were good people. All the more so, when compared to _this_ jackass.

"Scrambled message coming in for the General," one of the comm. officers said, cutting into the tension that had been building up in the room.

"What do you mean, a scrambled message?" Gault asked. "From whom?"

"It’s from the President, sir," she said. "It’s coded ‘Urgent’."

"Really? What could he want?"

"Your immediate resignation, I hope," Jamison said, and Slade heard Saber chuckling; he was even tempted to do so, himself.

Score another one for Jamison; if he’d been in a position to have human friends, than he would have been willing to call this man one of them. He wasn’t, though; friends could be killed, and humans were all the more vulnerable. They weren’t something he could afford the luxury of; Saber was the only one who wouldn’t die for standing at his side.

"Gault, that Ring-section is still falling towards Earth!" the President – and wow, was that weird to think about; they were facing _the President_ – berated. "Why hasn’t it been destroyed yet?"

"Commander Jamison isn’t cooperating!"

And boy, if that wasn’t one of the most pathetic excuses he’d heard in his time.

"I was ordered at gunpoint to put Slade and his brother under Gault’s command," Jamison said, almost fiercely, for all the calmness of his usual demeanor.

"Gault, you weren’t ordered to kidnap those young men, just ask for their help." Slade found himself having to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smirking at the blatant ‘oh shit’ look on the chubby, bald, jerk of a General’s face; Saber, of course, was laughing himself sick over their link. "My apologies, Commander Jamison. Sometimes the good General," here, Slade couldn’t quite hold back a snort; he made sure to be quiet. "can be a little overly-enthusiastic."

_ [There’s the understatement of the decade,]  _ Saber said; Slade silently agreed.

"We do, however, have an emergency situation that must be dealt with. My reports indicate less than six minutes until impact. Right, General?"

"How shall I proceed, Mr. President?"

"I assume Commander Jamison is capable of responding to the situation quite effectively on his own," the President said, by now sounding a bit fed up with Gault; Slade couldn’t blame him: he’d just met the man a few minutes ago, and he’d be perfectly happy never to see his ugly face again. "I suggest you order your troops to stand-down, and let him do his job. Understood?"

The screen went white as the connection was terminated, and Slade felt the niggling sense of his brother trying to contact him.

_ [What would you call that look?]  _ And here, Saber somehow managed to give him an image of Gault’s face as he spoke into his comm. unit. _[Just-swallowed-a-live-carp?]_

_ [Sounds good to me,] _ he responded, amused.

"All troops, fall back, now," Gault said, with an expression on his face that suggested he’d swallowed something unpleasant; maybe even the aforementioned live carp.

Things looked to be getting serious now, though, so Slade put aside his earlier levity; he saw Saber standing straighter out of the corner of his left eye.

"Slade, Saber, as you’re no doubt aware, Space Ring section XD-9 has broken free, and will collide with Earth unless you two can stop it."

"We’ll do our best, Commander," he said, after exchanging a speaking glance with his brother. "All that anyone ever had to do was to just ask us."

"Yeah. If your people can get us up there, we’ll make short work of that debris, but there’s one condition."

"Everyone else stays out of the way," Slade said, before any of the Space Knights could start asking what their condition was. "No one comes into the firing-line but me and my brother. That way, if we fail, no one else gets hurt. Well, do we have a deal?"

Jamison nodded, clearly accepting even though he didn’t state it outright. "All right, Space Knights. Take your positions and get the job done!"

0001001

Moving through the corridors at a brisk run, Saber kept his eyes peeled for an actual exit. He knew that Slade would be doing the same, since they were still going to be leaving this base soon. This was just an unexpected but necessary detour. They couldn’t allow that debris to just crash into the Earth, not with what they both knew about physics; not and still call themselves human beings.

Once they had reached the Blue Earth’s hangar again, Saber caught sight of Mac waving to him.

"I put in a new seat for you, lad," the large man said. "It’s just behind and to the right of your brother’s."

"Thanks," he called, on his way into the ship.

And, just as promised, there _was_ a new chair; it was within arm’s-reach of Slade, and bolted securely to the floor. This obviously wasn’t some kind of a temp-job; it made him almost uneasy about the fact that it would only be used this once. Still, it wasn’t like they were obligated to stay with these people just because they were nice.

If anything, that was all the _more_ reason for them to leave quickly.

"Blue Earth to Space Knight command center," Ringo said, drawing Saber’s attention back to the present. "All systems are go."

"I’ve engaged the new tracking system," Star informed them. "It should lead us right to it. There!"

The exclamation wasn’t particularly necessary, but Saber could understand; it really was an awe-inspiring sight, that of the huge hunk of hollow metal beginning to burn as it fell faster and faster down the Earth’s gravity-well. And a tragic one, too; for all the people that would die if it was allowed to complete its trip.

"Get us in close," Slade said, and Saber took a deep breath to begin his mental preparations.

The physical would be taken care of when he transformed, of course.

"We’re going in, now," Ringo said, as he guided the Blue Earth closer to their destination. "Closing to one kilometer."

"Spider-crabs!" Star exclaimed.

"Figures," he muttered, as he and Slade both climbed up and out of their seats.

"Time to go to work," Slade said, and he had to smirk at his brother’s bluntness. "Catch you later, guys."

They both made for the air lock, summoning their teknocrystals almost before the inner-door had sealed behind them.

"Tekno-power!" he shouted, even as he heard Slade echoing him in nearly the same instant.

The energy of the transformation filled him, nearly making Saber feel giddy from the sheer rush. The few senses that he could use in this kind of environment, and in this kind of armor – hearing, sight, and to a slightly lesser extent, touch – were enhanced even beyond the baseline enhancements that the Radam had originally granted him. When the transformation was complete, something he knew by the way the energies had stabilized, the second thing that Saber was aware of was the horde of Spider-crabs coming his way.

The first was, as always, the comforting presence of his brother.

0100010

Saber had already moved in front of him, and was making himself a lethal obstacle to any Spider-crab in his line of sight.

_ [Saber, if you give me enough time to get into position, I think I could wipe this whole thing out with one Tekno-bolt.] _

_ [Yeah, I think you could,] _ his brother said, and Slade could tell that he was smiling. _[I’ll give you all the time you need. Just watch my back, brother.]_

_ [You’ve always done the same for me,] _ he said warmly. _[I’d be happy to return the favor.]_

And so they continued to drive forward, spilling uncounted gallons of Spider-crab guts into interplanetary space, and splattering more than a few with their combined efforts; each working to move him into a position where he would be able to destroy this entire section of Space Ring debris with one shot. It would _have_ to be one shot; he’d be too wiped out for another if this failed.

This one wouldn’t fail, though; not with everything that was at stake.

Taking a deep, though admittedly unneeded, breath to steady himself, Slade began the charging process for his emitters. It would take some time to build up the energy he would need to get this done with one shot, but with Saber to keep the Spider-crabs off his back while he let his body siphon the energy it needed, from… wherever the hell those kinds of energy-levels could be drawn from, it wouldn’t take nearly as long as it would if he were alone.

"Slade, there’s only one minute left! You’ve got to hurry!"

"I’m just about there; just a few more seconds," he said, feeling the energies of his contained Tekno-bolt building almost to the point where he could no longer contain them. _[Saber, move back, I’ve got this.]_

_ [All right.] _

"Stay back," he directed his admonition at the Blue Earth and her crew. "Don’t follow us in."

He knew that Saber would want to stay with him, even if it wasn’t particularly safe in the grand scheme of things, and there was no real point in trying to talk him out of it. They would always back the other up. It was just what they did.

"Slade, what do you two think you’re doing?!" Star demanded.

_ [Damnit. I don’t think they’re going to listen to me,] _ he said, as he raised his pauldrons and revealed his energy-condensers. _[Do you think you could take care of them?]_

_ [Yeah,] _ Saber said, turning and jetting off that way. _[Good luck with your end, brother mine.]_

_ [Thanks,] _ he said, smiling.

Moving nearly into the mouth of the hollow hunk of space debris, Slade fired his Tekno-bolt deep into he heart of the section of hollow Space Ring debris. A line of brilliant, coruscating explosions rushed outward from the point of impact, and Slade found himself smiling. His smile became a wide grin when he saw the results of Saber’s work: his brother had literally _shoved_ the Blue Earth out of the path of the explosion that had just finished consuming the Space Ring debris.

Heading back for the air lock, Slade gave his brother a discreet, low-five as they caught up to each other and flew back side-by-side.

"Nice job, boys!" Ringo, of all people, congratulated them as they made their way into the air lock. "Mission accomplished. We’re heading for home!"

_ [This isn’t the end,] _ he said, the rush of battle having given way to the deep pessimism that had been ingrained in him by all that had happened ever since he and Saber had become what they were now.

_ [I know. It’s not going to end until  _ we _end Darkon,]_ Saber said, sounding like he was starting to get tired; come to think of it, so was he. _[Still, we_ did _win this one. That’s got to count for something.]_

_ [You’re right,]  _ he said, nodding wearily. The last thing he saw, before he slumped to the floor in a dead faint, was Star making her way into the air lock.

At least he’d have a bed to sleep in after this ordeal.


	4. Broken Saber

Finding Slade and Saber both passed out on the floor of the air lock was starting to become something of a – mildly disturbing – tradition. They were both naked, the way they always seemed to be when they transformed back into their human forms; for whatever reason. Trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks, and the seriously distracting images that the more lavicious part of her brain was trying to impose on her – whipped cream and twincest was _not_ conductive to getting her job done, nor was it in any way remotely likely; not that she actually _wanted_ it to be – Star went to grab a couple blankets from the hold. She’d been taking them along on the off-chance that either one or both of the twins would be called upon to transform.

Since she’d seen the results of that once before, and she’d thought that it was likely to be repeated under the same circumstances; she didn’t know if being right made her feel better or worse about the situation, but she was more than a little embarrassed about it.

Once she’d gotten both boys wrapped up and strapped into the seats they’d been assigned on the ship, all the while ignoring whatever commentary Ringo might have been making about the situation, Star settled back into her own seat and set her mind on getting them all back down to Earth safely. They wouldn’t do anyone any good if they ended up getting killed by some stray Spider-crab before they made it back to the Command Center.

Especially when they were so very close to being defenseless.

100100111

When he woke up again, Slade found that he wasn’t, oddly enough, staring up at the ceiling of the infirmary the way he had been the last time something like this had happened. Nor, he realized, sitting up and looking around the small room he found himself inside, was his brother anywhere in evidence.

_ [Saber? Saber!] _

_ [No, really big brother, I wasn’t trying to get any sleep or anything. Go ahead and startle me out of the few hours I actually managed.] _

_ [Sorry,]  _ he said, settling back onto the bed and looking around the room again. _[I guess I was just worried; this is the first time I’ve woken up somewhere that’s not the infirmary.]_

_ [Yeah; not to mention the first time you woke up without me,] _ Saber said, sounding thoughtful. _[At least since… everything happened.]_

_ [Yeah.] _

Laying back down on the bed, Slade wondered for a moment just how he and Saber were going to be able to leave this place with a minimum of fuss. He knew that they wouldn’t be able to leave _entirely_ without a fuss, since all of the Space Knights would be expecting them to keep staying on to help after what they’d gone out and done. Still, it wasn’t as if they could have just ignored what was happening; that Space Ring debris had obviously been one of the Radam’s plans, and both he and Saber had made a silent promise that they wouldn’t allow the Radam to succeed in any of their plots; to say nothing of the damage and loss of life that they had prevented.

But just because they were willing to give what help was necessary, that didn’t make them obligated to stay; he doubted the Space Knights would understand, but that was just the way things were.

Getting up, and grabbing the jacket off the table by the bed he’d been placed in, Slade made his way down the hall in search of his brother. He’d found out about this weird little power of theirs almost by accident, since whenever they were communicating with one another, he always managed to get a sense of just where Saber was at the moment. For times like this, he was grateful to have it.

Still, there were other times when the full implications would start to sink in again and he’d shudder; after all, if it was this easy for him and Saber to find each other, then it was probably just as easy for one of Darkon’s Teknomen to find them.

01000101

He didn’t really know just where he was anymore, but the place seemed pretty comfortable. It wasn’t loud, it wasn’t bright, and there was nothing else to distract him from the restful warmth that surrounded him on all sides. Nothing, that was, except for the slight feeling of _wrongness_ at the back of his mind. He didn’t really know what any of that might be, since as far as he knew there wasn’t anything… wherever he was that was capable of threatening him.

He felt a subtle twinge, almost an itch, at the back of his neck then. Before he could work up the will to scratch it – he really _was_ feeling astonishingly apathetic about everything – it dulled to barely anything and then stopped entirely. He was grateful for that, insomuch as he could be grateful about anything, and tried to settle back down into sleep.

There didn’t seem to be anything else _to_ do, aside from sleep. Maybe try to find out where he was, but he found that he couldn’t really work up the will for _that_ , either. That probably should have worried him, at least just on general principle, but that would have taken effort to care about.

He was finding that effort of will extremely hard to maintain, and he didn’t really care about _that_ , either.

When he had resigned himself to never moving from this spot, not a hard thing in his current condition, he began to become aware of the… Whatever you would call whispering when you couldn’t actually hear a word of it. _Spear_ , it said, and _spear_ again; he wondered if that was supposed to mean anything.

Maybe his name? He didn’t really have one to speak of; not that he was concerned, but it would be nice to have something to go by. The silent whispers grew more insistent, and so he decided to go along with them; he had a feeling that there would be less hassle this way, and it wasn’t like it cost him anything to accept the name he was being given.

Spear was a very… sharp name, anyway. Once he’d made up his mind, not that he was being given many options either then or now, a sudden wave of tiredness rolled over him. It didn’t make much sense, but Spear couldn’t care; he was too tired now, for one thing, and the apathy still held him like a thick, sticky cocoon.

Lulled back into an apathetic doze by the presence within the teknopods, the Teknoman now known as Spear settled back into sleep.

11010100

Darkon, through his connection to all of the Radam bio-technology within his ship, felt a sense of profound satisfaction. The human named Conrad Carter had been particularly obstinate in his resistance to the mental reconditioning that was being imposed upon him; such a strong will would serve him quite well in his new life, but first he had to be made to accept that his old life was over. Such was the way with all Teknomen, no matter their species.

He had been the same way, he knew; he had loved his own world – not so much the people that had shared it with him, but the world itself – and he had helped the Radam to add that world to their glorious empire.

It would be no different for any of these "humans" of his, once the traitors had been either captured – something he honestly preferred, but since he doubted it would be feasible with this small amount of warriors that had managed to survive the transformation process, he had to be pragmatic about matters – or killed. This earth planet of theirs reminded him oddly of his own home at times; the climate seemed warmer on the whole, yes, and the wildlife – that he had seen in the minds of his new warriors – was vastly different, but other than that…

Perhaps he was merely becoming homesick after so long; he made up his mind to pay a visit once he had finished with this planet. The triumphant conqueror, returning home with his spoils of war. Yes, that would suit him nicely.

110101001

Sitting in the room that Saber had been moved to by the Space Knights, Slade considered it. It hadn’t been that far away from his own, and was furnished in the same way. The rooms themselves were generic enough that they could really be used by anyone, which was a good thing, considering the fact that the Space Knights were going to have to assign them to someone else after he and Saber had left.

Which they were finally going to do today; he’d learned enough about the layout of this Command Center of theirs that he was confidant he wouldn’t get them lost again while they were looking for the exit.

"So, it’s finally time," Saber said, leaning back on his hands as they both sat on the bed together.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I think I’ve gotten to see enough of this place to get out of it without getting lost this time."

"Well, I think Ringo would be happy to hear that," his brother said, with a sidelong, sardonic smirk. "If we were actually going to tell anyone about our plans, at least."

"Yeah."

That was the problem with working alongside people like the Space Knights: it was easy to start to respect their courage and their convictions, and then to want to stay on to help them. To become a part of the family they had so obviously formed for themselves out of what had once been just working relationships. But, all of the Space Knights were human… and he and Saber had already had a family.

It hadn’t ended well.

Taking his brother’s hand, Slade began to make his way out the door and back into the hall. He didn’t care how long it took him this time, he _was_ going to find a way out of this command center before he and Saber fell in with these Space Knights by default. He knew that it was possible to stay around people long enough that the act of leaving would start to seem more difficult than the decision to stay, and he was hoping to avoid that.

Leaving aside the mistrust that Ringo so clearly had for them – which wasn’t so much a factor in his decision, but it would be nice to get away from – all of the other Space Knights were just the kind of people that he could find himself coming to like. They’d discussed it while they were making their plans, so he knew that Saber felt just the same. Star and Tina in particular seemed intent on getting them to stay, although clearly for different reasons, and he didn’t want anything to do with either of them.

Not so much for his own sake – they were both nice, and Star seemed to genuinely care about them – as for theirs. Still, there were selfish elements to his desire to leave quickly; Tina was an almost dead-ringer for… someone that he and Saber had both been very close to. Dealing with the constant reminder of all that they had lost wasn’t appealing to either of them, and so Slade moved more quickly through the corridors.

The more quickly they left this Command Center and all its Space Knights behind, the better it would suit them both.

"That’s weird," Saber said, pausing in mid-step. "Do you hear people talking?"

Just as he was about to answer in the negative, Slade began to hear the same voices that had brought his brother up short. "Sounds like Maggie," he said.

"Sounds like she’s talking about _you_ ," Saber said, giving him another sidelong smirk.

Stopping to listen, Slade found that the people in the next room _did_ indeed seem to be talking about him. Ringo was there, the way he always seemed to be lately. Deciding that they could spare a minute or two to satisfy their curiousity, Slade stopped in the hall just outside the room.

10101000

"I’m telling you, there’s something weird about those two kids we’ve picked up," he said, looking at the hand of cards, some that he’d been dealt, and some that he’d picked up for himself during the course of the game; all winners, as usual. "Especially that Slade guy," he slanted a look at Maggie. "I mean, your boyfriend."

Maggie looked indignant, but he’d known her long enough that he could tell that there was no real force behind it. "He is not!" she leaned back, holding her cards up again. "Slade is the sensitive, caring, strong, silent type, that’s all. And, if he happens to be attracted to ravishing, quick-witted, intelligent red-heads, then I’ll just know he has excellent taste."

He scoffed. "I think the only one that guy is _attracted_ to is his brother," he let his gaze pass over Mac and Maggie both, looking for any hints about what kind of cards they might have held. "If you know what I mean."

"Now, Ringo my lad," Mac said, in that starting-in-on-a-lecture tone of his. "You might not believe this given your circumstances, but family _does_ stick together."

"Yeah," Maggie added, nodding. "They’re brothers; it’s only natural they’d be so close," she looked over her hand again. "Let’s see… I’ll take, five cards, please."

"Yeah, I suppose you’d be really okay with something like that," he said, ignoring the thrust of their remarks – they didn’t know the full story, and he wasn’t about to tell them – and settling back to look at his cards. "I still don’t trust them."

"Well, there _are_ a lot of things we don’t know about those boys," Mac said, but Ringo personally doubted that he was about to concede the argument. "Eh, two for me."

"Well, _I’m_ looking forward to getting to know those boys a whole lot better," Maggie said, her tone making it painfully obvious just _which_ of the boys she was so hung up on. The giant lipstick heart with the word ‘love’ written in it didn’t hurt, either.

Not the _conversation_ , anyway. "Hey, knock it off, Maggie," he exclaimed, exasperated. "We’re trying to play cards, here. Okay, guys, what’ve you got?"

"Three queens," Maggie said, laying her cards on the table; it was a good hand, but nowhere near as good as his.

"I’ve got three kings," Mac said; he would have beaten Maggie if he’d only been playing against her.

Still, might as well have a bit of fun with them. He groaned, not too theatrically of course, he wanted to make this believable, and threw down his own hand. Carefully, so he wouldn’t reveal his trump card, but harshly enough that he looked believably petulant, if he did say so himself.

"Three twos?" Mac said, incredulous; Ringo almost gave himself away by smirking. Mac laughed, and Ringo knew he had him.

"Hold it," he said, blocking the large man’s hand just as he started to reach for the pot.

"Now easy does it, Ringo my lad," Mac said, wagging his finger. "Three kings beats three twos, you know."

Smirking at last, Ringo reached down to reveal his trump card. "Read ‘em and weep."

"Oh no! Drat!" Mac exclaimed. _Gotcha_ , Ringo thought. "That’s a joker!"

"Well, looks like you got a loser, Mac," Maggie said, staring down at the cards all laid out on the table.

"Got that right," he said, with a wink to show there were no hard feelings. "Who knows, buddy, maybe next time. But I gotta warn ya, I try to make a habit of winning; unlike some people I know. Teknomen included."

"Quiet," Maggie said suddenly, sounding aggrieved enough that he got the feeling he’d done something she considered a big no-no. "Honestly Ringo, you and your big mouth. They’re standing right over there, they’ll hear you."

That _had_ been the basic idea; not that he was going to tell either of them that.

"Oh, I think Saber actually _did_ hear you," she said, starting to sound more amused than disapproving.

"Why’s that?" he asked, vaguely curious.

"He’s giving you the finger."

"What?" he looked up, and sure enough; Saber, standing next to Slade, with his back squarely facing him – like someone who didn’t have a care in the world – had his left arm raised, and his middle finger extended in the universal gesture for "fuck you".

110001001

"He saw me, right?" he asked, after he had heard Maggie enlightening Ringo about his current activities.

"Yeah, he saw you," Slade said, continuing to look over his shoulder at the card game that had evidently just ended. "He looks pretty pissed."

"Good," he said, then turned to stare Ringo right in the face, Maggie was laughing softly next to him, he could tell from the way she was moving. Pulling down his right eyelid, he stuck his tongue out at the blond. Maggie thought it was hysterical, but his main focus was on Ringo.

Ringo wasn’t nearly so amused.

Turning on his heel, Saber left the room beside his brother. "So, now that we’ve satisfied our morbid curiosity," he was perfectly willing to admit that this little detour was as much for his benefit as it was Slade’s. "How about we head for that exit you found?"

"Yeah," Slade looked back over his shoulder for a few moments. "I guess we really should."

"Hey, if you’re still hung up on what Ringo was saying about us, don’t be," he said, putting his left hand on his brother’s right shoulder. "The man’s a jackass."

"It wasn’t Ringo, it was Mac," Slade said, sounding morose; moreso than usual, anyway. "He’s right: there’s a _lot_ they don’t know about us."

"Isn’t that the whole idea?"

Before his brother could make any kind of response to that, Star came around the corner. She had the mien of someone who was looking for something, and when she saw them she smiled.

"I was starting to wonder where you two had wandered off to," she said, smiling. "If you wanted a tour of the command center, you could have always asked."

"Sorry, I guess we didn’t think about that," he said, since Slade didn’t seem like he was going to say anything.

"Too used to being on your own, I guess," she said, and sounded sad enough about it that he had to smile, if only just a bit. "Well, the Commander wants us to gather some more samples from those plants that the Radam have been spreading out all over the Earth, and I was wondering if you two would like to come with me. I think it’d be good for you boys to know what’s been going on Earth for all this time. After all, you’ve both lost so many memories," she said, looking at them with sympathy plain in her eyes.

At least it wasn’t pity.

"I guess we could do that," he said, after looking to Slade for confirmation. "Are we going to be taking the Blue Earth?"

"No," she shook her head. "A job like this would be better suited for the Polaris," he was confused, but she continued quickly enough that neither he nor Slade had the chance to ask any questions. "That’s the transport we used to take you and Slade back to the Command Center with us."

"Oh," he said. "I guess that makes sense."

_ [It’s always something, isn’t it?] _ Slade asked, sounding wistful.

_ [I didn’t exactly hear you putting up much of a fight,] _ he said, feeling mildly reproving.

_ [I guess…] _

_ [What is it, brother?] _ he asked, concerned; that wasn’t a tone Slade usually used.

_ [It’s not important.] _

_ [If it’s making you feel you have to keep things secret from  _ me _than I’d have to say it is,]_ he countered. _[I thought we weren’t going to keep things from each other. We’re all we’ve got; remember?]_

_ [Yeah,] _ his brother said, sounding contemplative. _[I guess I’ve just been thinking about the future. About what that commander of theirs said.]_

_ [What do you mean?] _

"We’re here," Star said, breaking into the conversation she didn’t even know was happening.

"Great," he said, smiling. "Let’s get underway, then."

"All right," she said, punching in a code to open the doors; Saber didn’t bother to pay attention beyond that.

He didn’t really think they’d be leaving anytime soon, but they’d probably be issued codes – or taught them, at least – when they were fully inducted into the ranks of these Space Knights.

_ [So, I guess we’re going to stay for a bit longer, eh brother?] _

_ [I guess so,] _ Slade said, taking his hand as Star lead them into the hangar, and they stood in front of the Polaris for the first time.

"Now, since Ringo isn’t here," _[Thank God,]_ he interjected, and saw Slade struggling to hold back laughter. "I’ll be the one flying today. Normally, the Polaris here requires both a pilot and a navigator, but I thought-"

"You thought that, since we were good enough to fly the Blue Earth, one of us could take the post of navigator for the duration of this trip," Saber finished, just as Star began to look uneasy about continuing.

It wasn’t exactly one of their finest moments, stealing the Blue Earth and using it to fly up to attack the Radam infesting the Space Ring; it was nice of her not to bring it up.

"Yes. That’s just what I was thinking," Star said, smiling.

"I’ll take care of the navigation," Slade said, before he could open his mouth to say anything.

"All right," Star said, smiling at the both of them. "Let’s get going."

Tucking his hands into the pockets of his red Space Knight vest, Saber followed his brother and Star into the Polaris’ hangar. It was kind of interesting, seeing the ship from the outside for the first time. They didn’t see it for very long, of course, since they were boarding it at the time, but it was interesting all the same.

It was starting to look like they were going to be staying here for awhile, so he might as well learn the layout of the base more intimately.

10100100

Settling himself into the navigation station in the Polaris, Slade looked back over his shoulder as his brother settled into the seat next to him. It was good to have him there, but he was starting to have second thoughts about going out on this mission for the Space Knights’ Commander. They were going to be heading out into the heart of the Radam’s power on Earth; one of the many places where they had planted their teknopods with the aid of their horrible Spider-crabs.

He hated them; he hated everything they had done, and everything they were trying to do.

Star, who didn’t have nearly the same level of experience with the Radam as they had – and, if he had anything to say about it, she never would – took a moment to program the auto-pilot. He started to wonder why, but before he could ask, she was talking.

"I think it’s time I filled you two in on what’s been happening on Earth while you were gone," she said, with the air of someone about to begin a long story. "The entire world has been covered with these mysterious plants. It all started when the Radam Spider-crabs attacked us."

He knew; he wanted to say that. He and Saber _both_ knew just how and when – but not, he hated to say, _why_ – Darkon and his pet monsters had seeded the Earth with the giant masses of teknopods that he could see passing beneath the belly of the Polaris. He knew that there was something that he _should_ have known about them, something that was important to the Radam and therefore all the more reason that the plants growing beneath them needed to be destroyed, but for the life of him he couldn’t think of it. He and Saber had discussed it often in the days since they had been transformed, so he knew that his brother wasn’t in any better shape than he was on that front.

"The Spider-crabs destroyed anything that got in their way. Leaving behind a strange vegetation. Soon, the entire world had been covered by these giant, purple plants," she paused for a moment, either out of breath or needing to marshal her thoughts; he wasn’t particularly concerned either way.

Saber had been right, they were all they had; joining up with the Space Knights would just burden them with the fate of people who could die entirely too easily. It was best that they both left after this last mission. Better for everyone involved if they just disappeared.

"Every day I get more and more scared," Star continued. "These plants seem so harmless, yet I can’t help but feel that the world is in grave danger from them. We’ve got to find out everything we can about these plants," she said, as the Polaris passed over a particularly thick cluster of teknopods. "What’re they for; how do the aliens plan to use them."

_ [You’d think she’s forgotten where we found Gunnar,] _ Saber said, clearly paying more attention to the teknopods on the ground than to the conversation itself; it was even possible that he hadn’t intended to use his telepathy at all. _[You think she would have connected the teknopods to Teknomen by now, even if she doesn’t really know what to call them.]_

_ [I don’t think she even thought of that,] _ he said, deciding to respond whether or not his brother had consciously intended to start a conversation.

_ [Maybe-] _

"Earth to Slade!" Star shouted suddenly. "Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said? The world is falling apart at the seams; don’t you even care?"

"Hey," he interjected, slightly annoyed at having his conversation interrupted, even in spite of the fact that Star most likely hadn’t even known that a conversation had been taking place at all. "What d’you expect _us_ to do about that?"

"That’s simple," she said, staring at him with a subtly reproving expression; as if she believed that what she was asking of them _was_ simple. "Look, what do you boys want? To be alone for the rest of your lives?"

"We’re not exactly alone, you know," Saber said, speaking aloud for the first time since they’d set off on this mission of theirs.

"For all intents and purposes, you are," she countered. "Look; why don’t you two want to join the Space Knights? We all seem to be on the same side, and we could all use the help that you two can provide. So I don’t see what the problem is."

"You’re right," he said; she smiled for a moment, obviously thinking he was agreeing with her. "You really _don’t_ know what the problem is. Saber and I are the only ones who would have a chance against the Radam; we have to fight them on our own."

"On your own?" she echoed, sounding mildly annoyed, but also disappointed somehow. She was going to have to get used to that feeling, if she kept expecting him and Saber to stay.

Turning his attention back to the outside world, he found that the Polaris was settling down to land in a small clearing. It was just on the edge of a thick cluster of immature teknopods, but since that was what they were all out here to study, he supposed he couldn’t really complain about that too much. Saber would probably see to that.

"We’ll talk about this later," she said; he wasn’t sure if she meant that as a promise or a threat. "For now, follow me and I’ll get you two prepared to leave the ship."

"Prepared how?" Saber asked, rising from his seat and falling into step just behind him; Slade was glad for the company. It would be easier to deal with Star if he wasn’t the only one trying to argue his point.

"Well, since we don’t know what the effects of the gas that these plants release into the air would be on a human body, the Commander has given orders that anyone trying to take samples be equipped with a breather-mask, if not a full Hazmat setup."

"I guess that makes sense," he said, not wanting to be any more exposed to the teknopods than he had to be; when he paused to think about it for a moment, he realized that he _knew_ what the gas that the teknopods released would do to an unprotected human: at its full potency, released from a mature teknoplant, the gas would serve to knock any human in the area unconscious.

It would leave them defenseless; easy prey for the teknopods to snap up.

"Well, let’s get going," Saber said, as they made their way into the storage area amidships.

"Right," Star said.

Soon enough, the three of them were walking down the boarding-ramp with the special breather-masks fitted to their faces. He almost found himself listening for the exaggerated, raspy breathing that his brother would usually be doing at a time like this. But that was something _Cain_ would do; Saber was more serious, more defensive of them both, than Cain had ever been.

There were times he missed his slacker, goof-off of a younger twin brother; but Cain and Ness Carter were hardly suited to fight a guerrilla war with the Radam Empire.

"I’m going to take bio-samples from some of the larger plants in the interior," Star said, as she walked away carrying a large, gunmetal gray case. Probably some sort of portable computer.

"Go on ahead," he said, knowing that she wasn’t in any real danger from this batch of immature teknoplants; still, they would both stay close behind. "We’ll watch your back."

There was ash, still drifting in the air from the destruction that the Spider-crabs had caused. It looked enough like snow that Slade almost found himself expecting cold breezes to start blowing in at any moment. Up ahead, crouched before one of the largest of the teknoplants, Star was muttering to herself.

He stood atop a wide, curled teknoplant root whose exposed surface had been covered in ash. It made a good vantagepoint to survey the lay of the land, and to make sure that no one could sneak up on them without him knowing about it. Saber stood next to him, facing the opposite direction; they might not have been staying, but he would be damned if he let someone else die on his watch.

All the while, as he continued to keep his senses primed to detect any incursion by the Radam, he found that he couldn’t help turning Star’s words over in his head.

_ [What do you think of them, Saber?] _

_ [The Space Knights? Well, aside from Ringo, I’d have to say that I like them. I mean, that Commander of theirs is pretty inscrutable, but from the things I’ve seen him do, I think he’d be trustworthy when it mattered. Need I ask why you want my opinion on them?] _

_ [No; I’m pretty sure you suspect something by now,] _ he said, feeling his lips curl into a small, almost unnoticeable smile.

_ [Oh, I definitely do. Question is, am I right or not?] _ Saber returned, and Slade could just hear the smile in his brother’s voice.

_ [I think you just might be,] _ he said, smiling a bit wider. Before he could say anything else, though, he heard a sudden, sharp scream piercing the air; there was only one person it could be. "Star!"

11001001

While she had been successful in blocking out the thoughts of what had actually _happened_ to the people who had once lived in this place – the same way that she had done with all of the other places that the Radam had rolled over in their attempts to conquer the world; attempts that would fail, if she and the other Space Knights had anything to say about it – seeing that doll in the heap of ashes that had coated the whole of this place – what had once been a normal neighborhood like any other – had brought the feelings all roaring back. Full force; she _couldn’t_ pretend not to see something like _this_. It just wasn’t in her.

The twins were at her side in what seemed like half a second; Slade asking her what was going on, and Saber crouching down beside her to check for any injuries. She was grateful to them both; but sympathy wasn’t all she needed right now. Not even all the sympathy in the world would bring the dead back to life.

"The people," she said, swallowing past a lump in her throat. "There were families here," she continued, digging the doll free from its prison of ashes. "The Radam destroyed their homes. They’re all gone."

Leaning into Saber as he put an arm around her shoulders, she held the doll for a long moment, before she brushed the last of the ash from the bedraggled doll, and stood back up. Saber’s right arm was still around her shoulders, though how he’d managed that without leaning on her for support she didn’t quite know, and she was grateful to him for staying with her.

She just wished that he and his brother would decide to stay longer; that was all.

"Star, is there anything we can do?"

110101000

He didn’t know just what had made him ask that; it was a stupid question, for one thing, and he had a feeling he already knew what she was going to say, anyway.

"Become a part of the Space Knights," she said, walking back and handing him the doll even as Saber gave him a ‘well, what were you expecting’ look from over her shoulder.

The next thing he knew, they were making their way back to the Polaris, evidently finished with their excursion for the day. He was glad to be going back; glad, not so much to be fighting _for_ people rather than against them, but just that he and Saber had somewhere to go. He wasn’t going to try to make friends with these Space Knights, but he would do all that he could to protect them.

Once they were back inside the Polaris and settled comfortably in the seats for take-off, Slade considered what Star had been saying. It was pretty much an unspoken consensus that they were going to stay on with the Space Knights and help them with their fight against the Radam, but maybe one of them would end up telling her later. Still, it looked like she was going to be pretty busy for awhile, and they still had to get settled in if they were going to be of any use to the Space Knights.

They wouldn’t do anyone much good if they kept getting lost all the time.

11101010

When he’d finished sharking Mac at cards, and won a very nice antique watch on top of that, Ringo gathered up his various winnings and headed back to his quarters. There didn’t seem to be anything that needed the Space Knights’ attention today – a situation that probably wasn’t going to last very long, he knew from bitter experience – so he was determined to take advantage of what downtime he was being given. He’d probably have to deal with the Wonder Twins sooner than later, and he wanted to be rested enough that he wouldn’t end up snapping at them too much. Star hated it when he did that.

He still wasn’t going to trust them so easily, of course; good things did _not_ just fall out of the sky the way these two had done. The only thing that fell out of the sky these days was trouble, and these two definitely fit the bill. He didn’t know just what their angle was yet, but he was going to make it his business to find out.

10010010

When the three of them had returned to the Space Knight’s Command Center – somewhere Saber figured he was going to have to start getting used to; once Slade got an idea in his head, he wasn’t the type to abandon it until it had either panned out or… not – they followed Star to a place that had been designated "computer room three". It gave him something of an idea just how large this command center of theirs was. There were only two chairs in the room, though; both bolted to the floor on swivels so you couldn’t shift their positions much.

At least, not in any major way.

It had been mutually decided that Slade would handle the computer, since he was more inclined to use them for actual _work_ instead of just goofing off the way Saber tended to like doing. Needless to say, this proved to be of some interest to Star.

"Wait a minute, Slade," she said. "Let me get this straight: you and your brother lost your memories, but _you_ still know how to operate a computer?"

"Yeah; I guess so." _[Help?]_

_ [Sure.] _ "I don’t think it was just these basic kinds of things that we lost," he said, leaning forward so he could look over his brother’s left shoulder. "I mean, I can remember how to drive a car, and what foods are good to eat or not. It’s just… we don’t remember anything else."

Star looked sympathetic after hearing that, so Saber knew he’d found just the right thing to say. "You know, there’s a series of examinations that we could run on you two that might just help you to regain some knowledge of your past. It’ll take some time, but it might be worth it. And who knows, you two might be able to remember everything!" she said the last part softly, but there was obvious enthusiasm in her tone.

_ [Me and my big mouth,] _ he said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

_ [It’s all right, brother mine. After all, you have to figure that normal people in our situation would be  _ eager _to remember what had happened to them.]_ "Could be," Slade said, managing to sound cautiously optimistic. "I sure hope so."

_ [Since when have we been normal?] _

_ [Since when has anyone else known that?] _ Slade retorted.

Before anyone else could say anything, the alarm started to go off. And, since this didn’t sound much like the ‘general-alert’ – though he’d only heard _that_ once – Saber figured that he and Slade had better start heading for the main part of the command center. The way Star shot up out of her chair made him all the more certain that he had guessed right.

"Looks like it’s back to the salt mines," he said, resigned for the most part, but still kind of annoyed; Slade was almost the direct opposite.

Leaving the computer room at a sprint, they fell in behind Star as she made her way swiftly back to the comm. room at the rough center of the Space Knight Command Center. It didn’t take them too long to make it their, which was good, since he might have been tempted to put on enough speed to outrun Star, and that might have ended up getting him lost again. He could tell that Slade had been thinking along the same lines.

When they finally reached the comm. room – the doors sliding apart to admit them the way he’d them do before – he saw Commander Jamison turn to look at them.

"I’m glad to see that you two came," the man said, though he seemed as reserved as ever; Saber was starting to suspect that this was just the way he was. "Checking the holo-screen, it seems we’re discovered an unidentified flying object," he said, as the screen behind him began to display something that Saber almost felt should be familiar to him; it felt like something the Radam had taught him to recognize, so that was already a reason to hate it. "Your assignment, Space Knights, is to immediately go investigate this UFO. But be careful, it could be one of the Radam’s tricks."

"Probably is," Slade said, and he was inclined to agree.

Jamison walked over to the main computer and started to type, changing the view on the screen to one of the things that Saber would have been just as happy _not_ to see: a Spider-crab. "Take a look at this," he said unnecessarily.

"I can’t stand the sight of them," Star said, sounding purely disgusted; a sentiment that he and his brother both unreservedly shared.

"They probably feel the same way about you," Ringo said; Saber shot him The Look, but he had his eyes closed so he didn’t take any notice of it.

"Space Knights, get moving!" Jamison – maybe he should start trying to think of him as ‘Commander’, though – said, in that soft, fierce way he had.

"We’re on our way," Slade said firmly.

"You can count on us, Commander," Saber added.

Star’s soft, quickly suppressed laugh let him know that they’d _definitely_ said the right thing. And who knew, maybe with their help, these Space Knights would manage to survive what was coming. He certainly hoped so.

11010100

As they all made their way back down the corridors of the Command Center on their way to Hangar Three and the Blue Earth, Star smiled. She’d had a good feeling about the twins, once they’d had a chance to settle in and to realize that the Space Knights were fighting for the same thing that they were. Whatever the reasons they’d had for wanting to continue fighting alone, they were all better off now that Slade and Saber had decided to stay.

She decided then to tell them just that. "I’m glad you two decided to stay," she said, ignoring Ringo’s scoff and eyeroll. "We really need all the help we can get."

She thought Slade might have muttered something, probably something not-so-nice, judging by the way Saber dug his elbow into his brother’s ribs. He tried to be subtle about it, but Star was good at spotting things like that. She almost wondered what Slade had just said, but Saber smiled and started speaking before she could ask.

"We’re happy to help," Saber said, his smile looking genuine; for the most part, Star thought that she could still see some degree of unease there.

She didn’t quite know why yet, but she was determined to find out when time permitted. Now, though, when they were standing at the threshold of Hangar Three as the heavy doors opened in front of them, really wasn’t the time for that kind of thing, though. Still, as they all piled into the Blue Earth and took their respective stations in preparation for takeoff, Star found herself watching the twins as they settled into the seats they’d been assigned.

There was clearly a lot more to them than they wanted to let on, and she wanted to find out what it was.

"Hey, Ringo," came Mac’s voice over the comm., sounding disgruntled about something. "Take care of my watch. I’m gonna win it back next time!"

"Yeah, right," Ringo scoffed. "All systems go, preparing for launch. Which, according to my beautiful, brand new watch, should be right about now."

"Launch-window is optimum," she confirmed, deciding not to involve herself in whatever inane thing Ringo and Mac were talking about; Ringo would say it was a guy thing, and that she couldn’t understand because of that; she would have said it was an _idiot_ thing, and that no one sane _could_ have understood it.

And then they would get into an argument that would take up valuable time. Not to mention making them look crazy in front of the twins. Best not to say anything.

The launch proceeded normally, at least up until they had left the last vestiges of the upper-atmosphere behind. Then, just as she began to see the first, leading edge of the Spider-crab legions that the Radam had sent out to surround the UFO that Commander Jamison had wanted them to investigate. But, more than that, there was the UFO itself.

"There it is!" Slade snarled, leaning forward in his seat, looking for all the world like he wanted to leap out of his seat and transform right then and there.

But, just a second or two later, Slade seemed to re-collect himself, and settled back into his seat. Saber seemed to be completely calm throughout the whole situation, though when she looked at his face, there was a clear expression of restrained anger there. Violence, just barely contained.

It was sort of frightening, how intense Saber could be; he seemed so laid-back most of the time, but still waters often ran the deepest, she knew.

"We’ve got company," she stated, checking the radar screen. "Coming up fast astern from the starboard side."

"Oh yeah?!" Ringo demanded. "Well, they’d better keep their claws off my ship or they’re space dust!"

No one had anything to say to that.

10100100

When the ship pitched violently, slammed from the side by one of Darkon’s Spider-crabs, Slade gritted his teeth and glared at one that had just appeared in front of the cockpit windows. _[Let’s get going.]_ "We’re outta here," he said aloud, knowing that Ringo and Star would want to know where they were going.

Well, Star would, at least.

_ [Right with you, brother mine.] _

Saber’s response brought a small smile to his face; Ringo’s, not so much: "Just another day at the office, right superheroes?"

Star’s shouting the pilot’s name was quickly followed by Saber’s response. "Will you _try_ not to be such a jackass, Ringo? I know it’s a stretch, but at _least_ make the attempt, will you?"

"Why, you little-"

"Oh, sit on this and rotate, why don’t you," Saber said, cutting Ringo off before he could work up to some kind of a tirade.

"Ringo, we happen to be Earth’s only hope," he said at last, getting the last word by the simple expedient of taking his brother’s arm and pulling him toward the air lock.

_ [Remind me again why we’re putting up with him?] _ Saber asked.

_ [He’s a member of the Space Knights,] _ Slade said, a slight smirk pulling at his lips. _[Beyond that, I don’t know.]_

Standing beside his brother inside the airlock, for the third time since they had joined up with the Space Knights – but only the first since they had declared themselves to be members of the team – Slade raised his crystal, and felt the subtle, answering resonance that let him know Saber had raised his own.

"Tekno-power!" he shouted, almost perfectly in time with his brother.

As the energy filled him, and the air lock released them both, Slade headed for the swarming Spider-crabs and whatever it was they were guarding.

_ [Are you getting the same Very Bad Feeling about that thing back there, or am I just being paranoid?] _

_ [Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they  _ aren’t _out to get you,]_ he answered, the same way Saber would have answered _him_ if he’d asked that question. _[But yeah; I don’t like the look of that purple thing, either.]_

Before they could deal with whatever new thing the Radam had set out for them, however, they had to make sure that the Blue Earth wasn’t in any immediate danger. Knowing that there was at least one – though probably a lot more – Spider-crab coming up from the right, he landed atop the ship and looked around. Sure enough, there were two Spider-crabs in close to the ship, as well as a larger number that he didn’t bother to count farther out.

It didn’t really matter, though; they’d be dealing with those things soon enough.

"So, you wanna dance, huh?" he taunted.

"I don’t know, brother mine, it looks to me like these guys might want to play tag," Saber said, clearly getting into the spirit of things.

"Well, if that’s the case, then let’s play!" he laughed, drawing his lancer and watching as Saber did the same.

The space around them was periodically crisscrossed with the Spider-crabs’ sticky venom, but he and Saber dodged it easily as they passed back and forth over the Blue Earth, protecting her from any and all Spider-crabs in the vicinity. Hacking his way through the press with his lancer, Slade spied Saber spearing a knot of Spider-crabs with the energy-ribbon contained within his own. He would have thought to launch his bladed boomerangs, but he knew he couldn’t control them nearly as well as Saber could his energy-ribbon.

He would have to take care of them the hard way.

Raising his lancer, joined together into its double-ended form, he carved through any of the Spider-crabs that managed to make it past his brother. Knowing that Saber would back him up if he really needed it, and that his brother would protect the Blue Earth if he got too far away, Slade began to hack and slash his way closer to the large, purple mass that the Spider-crabs seemed to be protecting. It obviously had something to do with the Radam, or else they wouldn’t be going to so much trouble to block his way; for that he hated it, and he _would_ destroy it.

"Come on, you freaks!" he bellowed, not caring if they could understand him or not.

Carving his way through another pair of Spider-crabs, Slade felt something slam into his back. It wasn’t a Spider-crab, he would have known in an instant if it was and he would have been in a lot more trouble besides, but when he tried to fire his thrusters and maneuver himself back into the battle, he found that his movements were sluggish and barely responsive; it had to have been a spray of Spider-crab venom.

_ [Saber, get Star and Ringo out of there!] _ he shouted over their link; Saber would probably be annoyed with him later, but it was all he could do.

He wasn’t much good to anyone if he could barely move.

_ [What?! Slade, are you crazy; you know what we always said.] _

_ [I know that,] _ he said, trying to be calm, even as he raised his lancer again and prepared to defend himself. _[But you’re the only one who can help them; I’ll be all right here. One of the Spider-crabs just hit my thrusters; I’ll take them out and then I’ll meet back up with you.]_

_ [And what happens when one of them moves too fast for you to deal with?] _ Saber demanded; and out of the corner of his eye, he could see his brother moving in to back him up. _[I notice you’re not moving like they can, and you have to know that not one of them is going to hesitate to take advantage of that.]_

_ [I’m not helpless, you know,]  _ he grumbled, though he _was_ grateful to see Saber so close at hand.

_ [You might as well be,] _ Saber said.

_ Blunt as ever, _ he mused, deliberately keeping his mental walls up. _[Thanks; I needed that.]_

Another Spider-crab slammed into them then, trying to force the two of them apart. Grabbing his brother’s hand as it was offered to him, he raised his lancer in his opposite hand and saw Saber doing the same. Ramming the point of his lancer into the fleshy back of the Spider-crab, even as the thing’s momentum drove them away from the Blue Earth, he looked ahead to see the Earth itself looming closer.

This wasn’t going to be pretty.

_ [Saber, we have to get off this thing; I don’t know about you, but I’m not really in the mood to end up at the bottom of another crater.] _

_ [Yeah; that makes two of us,] _ Saber said, sounding vaguely, morbidly amused. _[I’ll just yank our weapons out of this thing’s back, then I’ll fly us both back to the Blue Earth.]_

Just then, though, as if to mock their efforts at escape, the thin, leg-like spines on the fleshy underside of the Spider-crab they had inadvertently hitched a ride on closed over them. Pinned to the creature’s back, all Slade could do was laugh; nothing was really funny about the situation, not when you really thought about it, but Slade found that he couldn’t quite help himself. All of that work, and _this_ was how they ended up.

It was either laugh or scream; laughing hurt his throat less.

As the Spider-crab dragged them inexorably back to Earth, Slade sifted through his available options. What few of them there were right now, anyway; they were both about as stuck as one could possibly get, flattened against the back of a Spider-crab with no way to retrieve their weapons, and he didn’t know yet how to deal with that.

_ [So, now what?] _ he asked, even as he started to feel strangely weak.

_ [I don’t know, brother mine. But that’s not what’s bothering me,] _ Saber said, sounding more worried than Slade would have honestly expected him to.

_ [What is it, Saber?] _ he asked, hoping that what was starting to happen to him wasn’t happening to his brother.

_ [I feel… I don’t know, weak all of a sudden. I don’t know what’s happening to me.] _

_ [You too, huh?] _ he sighed; it was always something, and it was usually something bad these days. _[I guess it_ was _too much to hope that it was only happening to me.]_

_ [Yeah, well, don’t go getting all noble on me, older brother,] _ Saber said; Slade hadn’t honestly expected him to be so annoyed, but maybe he should have, considering all they had been through up till now.

_ [I’m sorry,] _ he said, abashed. _[I didn’t mean to make you worry. But we’ve got to find a way to get away from this thing, and we still have to destroy that URO, out there.]_

_ [Unidentified Radam Object,] _ Saber chuckled. _[That’s cute. Ugh, I feel dizzy,]_ Saber said, and Slade could feel his brother squeezing his hand more tightly. _[Do you have any ideas, brother?]_

_ [We need to find a way to get this thing to let go; we need the room to maneuver, and I think…] _ he trailed off, twisting the blade of his lancer.

The spines, or legs or whatever they were, slackened and loosed their grip on them. And, since he’d managed to get his bearings, although just barely, he knew that the Radam’s hideous construct wasn’t all that far away. _[Saber, charge up your Tekno-bolt and fire it when I do, all right? Whatever the Radam have heading for Earth, it’s right in front of us.]_

_ [All right,] _ Saber said, and out of the corner of his corner of his eye he could see his brother nodding.

Starting the charging process, and knowing that Saber would be doing the same, Slade felt the energy of his Tekno-bolt peak. Willing his pauldrons to open, Slade fired at almost the same instant as Saber did. The pure, destructive energies of their respective Tekno-bolts ripped through the space in front of them, completely obliterating the Radam construct and its complement of Spider-crabs.

Slade was glad for it; he felt as if he was only staying awake through sheer willpower, he needed rest. He needed _food_ , but rest had to come first. He was just about to collapse as it was.

_ [Saber?] _ he asked; there was only a small, weak moan over their link in response. _[Don’t worry, brother; I’ll get you back to the Blue Earth.]_

_ [Thanks,] _ Saber said, in what Slade thought was the mental equivalent of a whisper.

Wrapping his arms around his brother’s waist, Slade fired his thrusters; tried to, anyway. He’d forgotten entirely about the Spider-crab venom still gumming them up. Normally, he would have tried to fire them in short bursts, relying on his own momentum and the lack of inertia in space to let him coast over to the Blue Earth, but he was evidently more wrung-out by that dual Tekno-bolt he’d participated in; he barely felt capable of moving anymore.

And, to make matters worse, oh so much worse, he could see the remaining Spider-crabs beginning to gather around his and Saber’s immobile forms; like vultures around a corpse.

100100011

Sitting at her post in the navigator’s chair, Star watched in helpless horror as the insensate forms of the twins continued to drift in space. What made it even sadder was the fact that Slade’s arms were wrapped around Saber’s waist; he was still trying to protect his brother, even though something had clearly happened to them both.

"It’s been over two minutes, Star, their number’s up," Ringo said, and she wondered how anyone could be so heartless. "If we don’t go right now, _we_ may never get back to Earth."

"They’re not moving," she said, trying not to let what Ringo had said get to her.

"Look, I feel for the guys, but we’ve got to out of here!" Ringo shouted.

Spider-crabs were starting to gather closer around them, circling like some evil parody of carrion birds, and probably for the same reasons. She wasn’t about to let the Radam get their hands on the twins; not when they’d obviously worked so hard to escape, and not when she had just started to get to know them.

"I’m telling you, Star: they’ve bought it! And if we don’t go now, we’re next," Ringo snapped; she ignored him, rising from her seat and heading for the secondary airlock. "Where d’you think _you’re_ going?!"

"Hang on, Slade," she said, addressing the only one of the twins who still seemed to be conscious. "I’ll have the airlock open in just a second." Entering the relevant commands, she looked over to watch the secondary airlock slide open. "There."

"Thanks, Star," came Slade’s exhausted-sounding mutter, carried over the ship-board comm. "I guess we overdid it out there. It almost feels like I’m going to-"

The end of his sentence, whatever it would have ended up being, was cut off by Slade’s own scream. A short one, yes, but all the more worrisome for that. "One-eighty it back to the base, Ringo!" she shouted over the comm. "Step on it!"

"One-eight-zero degrees," Ringo responded easily. "Roger. And just in time, too."

Breathing more easily, knowing that they would all be safe soon, Star made her way to the aft section of the ship; both the main and secondary airlocks led there. And it was where the twins always went when they needed to transform. With the atmosphere restored, the doors hissed open without protest, and she stepped inside without another thought.

The twins were there, Slade’s arms still wrapped around Saber’s waist, and Star paused for a moment as she considered what she was going to do next. There was no way that she was going to be able to carry both of them for any length of time, but it was clear that the twins both needed urgent medical help. Taking a short breath to fortify herself, Star walked into the airlock and crouched down beside the twins.

The fact that they were still clothed registered then, vaguely, but she was still grateful for it in a way. Gently unclasping Slade’s hands, she unwrapped them from Saber’s waist; it wouldn’t be good for Slade to have his circulation cut off, which was what was going to happen if she left Saber where he was, so she carefully lifted Saber up off of his brother’s right arm. The least awkward position, at least relatively speaking, since she wasn’t going to have an easy time carrying them in either case, was for her to sling one of the twins over her back, and then try to drag the other one.

Star was fully aware that she was only going to be able to make it as far as the cockpit, but that was really the only place she needed to be. Ringo was there, and as much as he clearly didn’t like or trust the twins, she didn’t think he would be heartless enough to ignore them when they were so clearly incapacitated. At least, not now that they were onboard, she reflected with a slight wince.

Grabbing Saber’s arms, Star pulled him up onto her back and clasped his crossed wrists with her left hand. Still crouching, she paused a moment to regain her balance, then wrapped her right arm around Slade’s waist, braced her feet against the deck, and forced herself back to her feet. Struggling out of the airlock under the combined weight of the twins, with Saber’s breath tickling the back of her neck with every step, she finally made it back into the cockpit after what felt like a short eternity.

"Ringo!" she called, her voice strained from what she had just done. "We have to get them to a doctor!"

"Will you just forget about those stupid kids and help me get this ship back on the ground?!"

"How could anyone possibly be so cold-hearted?" she wondered aloud. "Hang in there, you two, you’ll be okay," she said, just as the Blue Earth pitched under the assault of what had to be another Spider-crab.

She felt herself and Saber slammed into a wall, both Slade and Saber’s right hand breaking free from her grip on them. Star could only be thankful that she hadn’t landed on Saber’s legs, since she didn’t think she could have done that without damaging them with the violence of the ship’s pitching and rolling. The ship pitched again, worse this time, and Star found herself slammed violently back into Saber’s chest, driving the breath out of him with a force that she hoped didn’t end up breaking one of his ribs.

Slade’s body was driven forward into her as the ship was slammed brutally into something she could only hope was the ground, and Star found herself slamming back into Saber again. She’d brought her arm forward to try to brace Slade against her body, so she didn’t worry too much about breaking one of Saber’s ribs _that_ way, but she still had her back against his chest, so she couldn’t relax all _that_ much.

It may not have been as concentrated a blow, but blunt-force trauma could be all the more dangerous in the long run.

Once the ship had mercifully come to a stop, she pulled Saber free from her back and began to check him for injuries. Pressing down lightly on his ribs yielded nothing like a break, which she was profoundly grateful for, but when she moved to examine the rest of him, she found a small cut on the back of his right hand. Probably when he had been tossed against the wall and she had lost her grip.

However, the worst of his injuries by far was the one she found on the back of his head. He was bleeding badly, though when she looked at his head, she found that the blood itself was hidden in his black hair. Not wanting to disturb his injury any more than she probably already had, she put Saber’s head in her lap, and waited.

She would have liked to have checked on Slade, but that wouldn’t have been possible without disturbing Saber. Ringo came to check on her a few moments later.

"Star! Are you all right?" he asked. "I tried to bring the ship down as gently as I could, but- Star, your hand!"

Star looked down at her right hand, where Ringo’s gaze was fixed. It was the very same one that Star had used to check Saber’s injury.

"It’s not… mine," Star muttered.

"Here, let me help you," Ringo said, not seeming to be listening to what Star had been saying. Pulling her to her feet, Ringo either didn’t notice of didn’t care when Saber’s unconscious and injured body slid back down onto the floor.

Star was speechless for a moment, before she got over her shock. She had known on an intellectual level that Ringo wasn’t very fond of either Saber or Slade, but she had thought that he would have at least given some thought to the fact that they were both lying unconscious on the floor. Grabbing the First Aid kit from the back of the Blue Earth’s cockpit, Ringo began to go through it.

"This might sting a little," Ringo said, trying to prepare Star for the mild discomfort he was sure was about to come.

"Ringo-" Star began.

"Hey, don’t worry about it, I’m actually pretty good at this," Ringo grinned in a way that was probably intended to be reassuring, but only came off as mildly annoying given the fact that Star was trying to tell him something that he kept ignoring.

As Ringo started to wipe away the blood on Star’s hand, Star decided to let him. Ringo would probably be more willing to listen to her once he found that Star wasn’t injured like he thought. Just then, Ringo finished cleaning away the last of Saber’s blood, then he began to get out one of the bandages from the First Aid kit.

"Wait Ringo, maybe you should check the wound first before you bandage it," Star suggested, hoping that Ringo would get the message that she wasn’t the one who needed help.

"Oh, right," Ringo nodded.

As Ringo looked over Star’s hand, searching for some kind of injury that would explain all the blood that had been there a few minutes ago. There was only clean, unbroken skin.

"What’s going on? I could’ve sworn you had a cut on your hand," Ringo said, gazing at Star’s hand with a look of eloquent confusion.

"That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Ringo. I’m not the one who’s injured."

"Well if you aren’t, who is?"

"Saber. He’s lying on the floor next to Slade. I thought you might have noticed them," there was no tone of accusation in Star’s voice, since she was trying to give Ringo the benefit of the doubt.

"Yeah, I guess I didn’t notice that," Ringo said, not sounding particularly contrite.

"I guess you didn’t," Star said neutrally. "Come on, let’s go see what we can do to help him."

"All right then, after you."

Ringo seemed to have to make a great deal of effort to get himself to go to the back of the cockpit and check on the twins. Star sighed, trying to keep her impatience in check. This feud that Ringo had with Slade and Saber was starting to get tiresome, but she knew that Ringo was just stubborn enough to keep it going despite the fact that it didn’t do any of them any good.

But now wasn’t the time to get into that kind of an argument, not when there was someone who urgently needed help, and not when Ringo was as likely to ignore her advice as anything. Once they were back behind the pilot’s chair that overlooked the cockpit, Star hurried over to Saber’s side. He didn’t look any better, but at least he didn’t look any worse either.

Star quickly picked Saber up, cradling him in her arms despite the fact that Saber obviously weighed more than she did. Ringo picked up Slade, with the attitude of someone who would rather be doing anything else at the moment. Star just barely kept herself from groaning aloud. Dealing with Ringo when he was determined to be this difficult would try even the Commander’s patience, she was sure.

Once they managed to get the boys out of the Blue Earth, there was still the matter of getting Saber the medical attention he so obviously needed. Luckily for all of them, Tina and Maggie were standing just off to the side of the Blue Earth’s exit ramp, more than likely waiting for Slade. Star didn’t know why Maggie insisted on flirting with Slade, but that wasn’t what she was thinking about right now.

"What happened?" Maggie demanded. "Are they all right?"

"As far as I can tell, no," Star said, obviously worried as Ringo brushed past her on his way to the infirmary. "I’m going to get him to the infirmary. You’re welcome to come along, if you want."

"Thanks, I think I’ll do that."

With that decided, Maggie followed Star as the other woman sprinted to the Space Knight infirmary. Once inside, all Star had to do was call one of the doctors. Maggie took care of that job, determinedly explaining the situation as she knew it to one of the more attentive of the medical staff. They soon took Saber off of Star’s hands, and another of them even contacted Commander Jamison.

The Commander was a good man, and would want to know about the injuries that one of his crew had sustained. As the doctors swarmed around Saber, checking him for other injuries and tending to his head wound, the Commander himself walked into the room.

"What’s the situation? What just happened?"

Star was again impressed by the way that the Commander could be so calm, even in this kind of near-crisis. That was part of what made him such a good commanding officer to work under, that and the way he cared so much about the people who did work under him.

"Sir," the doctor who had just finished wrapping Saber’s head in bandages saluted. "Saber has sustained a minor fracture in the back of his skull, along with a superficial wound to the back of his right hand, and moderately bruised ribs. The fracture has been taken care of to the best of our abilities, but he will still need to have time to heal."

"How much time?" the Commander asked.

"Three, maybe four days. Five at the most."

"Mmm," the Commander nodded. "And what about Slade? Did you have a chance to examine him?"

"Yes. All that was wrong with Slade was a severe case of exhaustion, along with minor scrapes and bruises. He’ll be fine once he wakes up."

"Good. Keep me updated on Saber’s progress."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Commander Jamison walked out of the infirmary. Ringo came in a little while after the commander had left.

"So, what’s the word?" he asked, not sounding all that concerned.

"What do you care?" Star snapped, finally getting angry at Ringo for his callousness.

"I just want to know when he’ll be back on his feet is all," Ringo shrugged.

"Why? Just so you can rub Slade’s nose in the fact that his brother got hurt?" Star demanded.

"Come on, Star," Ringo shot back, getting defensive. "You know me. Do you think I would really do that?"

"I know how you feel about Slade," Star said. "And I also know that you’d take any chance you could have to get a one-up in the stupid little feud the two of you seem so insistent on carrying on with."

"Hey, why don’t you go yell at Slade, then?" Ringo was getting angrier with every word Star said. "You going to try and tell me that he doesn’t take part in this alleged feud?"

"No, he doesn’t." Star said with finality, shoving her face close to Ringo’s to try and make her point better. "Slade just defends himself from your accusations. _You’re_ the one who keeps trying to antagonize him."

"Look," Ringo said, getting fed up with Star’s allegations. "Are you going to tell me what’s wrong with Saber, or am I just going to have to ask one of the doctors?"

Ringo didn’t realize Star had slapped him until he felt his stinging cheek. "What was _that_ for?!" he demanded.

"You’re such a moron sometimes," Star snapped, turning to leave without another look back.

"Sheesh, _someone’s_ in a bad mood." Turning to look at Saber, Ringo saw that the Teknoman was now hooked up to a respirator and a heart-rate monitor. "You don’t look so good, you know," Ringo smirked down at Saber.

Turning away from Slade’s brother, Ringo went to look for one of the medical staff. Walking over to one of the doctors that was still in the room, Ringo questioned her about Saber’s condition. Once he had finished with that, Ringo turned and left the room. It was time to bring Slade up to speed.

11100101

Slade had just woken up, and he still felt weak and disoriented from the aftermath of the battle he had just taken part in. He was also scared; scared of the voice that had seemed to call to him, trying to make him do things that he would never voluntarily do. For a moment Slade wondered if Saber had gone through the same thing during that battle. Then he decided to ask.

_ [Saber?] _ Slade called, trying to be as unobtrusive as he could about using his telepathic power. _[Saber, are you there?]_

_ That’s strange, _ Slade thought to himself. He could sense his brother still inside the base, but for some reason Saber wouldn’t answer his call. Even if Saber had been asleep, the telepathic contact should have awakened him. Just as Slade was about to try again, Ringo walked into the room.

"Slade, good to see you up."

Ringo had the look of someone who was delivering particularly bad news and trying not to enjoy it too much, though it appeared that Ringo wasn’t trying too hard. Slade wondered just what could have happened to make Ringo so pleased.

"What do you want?" Slade demanded belligerently, not liking the look on Ringo’s face one bit.

"Come on," Ringo grabbed Slade by his right wrist and hauled him out of his room. "I’ve got something to show you."

Slade considered fighting, but then decided to just go along with whatever Ringo wanted him to do. It would be just as easy to find out where Saber was after Ringo had finished showing him whatever the other Space Knight wanted him to see. As Slade was pulled along behind Ringo, he wondered just why they were heading toward the infirmary.

Slade had come to know the way to the Space Knight infirmary a great deal better than he would have preferred. Saber would probably say that that was because he spent entirely too much time there, and then Slade would probably have to agree with him. Once they were inside the observation room, Ringo let him go. And Slade took a moment to gather his wits.

"All right, I’m here," Slade snapped. "What did you think was so important that you had to drag me through half the base?"

"Go take a look through that window," Ringo said, smirking in a manner that made Slade long to punch him in the face. "Tell me what you see."

Wanting to have this over and done with as quickly as possible, Slade strode over to the large window that looked in on the treatment area. There was someone lying in the med-bed, clearly injured judging by the bandages that had been wrapped around their head. At the moment, though, Slade was more concerned with finding his brother than trying to figure out who this new person was.

"All right, I looked," Slade snapped, turning away from the window with a decisive snap. "If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find my brother now."

Ringo smirked again. "You’re looking at him."

" _What_?" Slade turned back to the observation window, _looking_ at the injured figure in the med-bed for the first time since he had been dragged into the room. _No. No, it can’t be._

But it was. Lying there, fresh white bandages covering his long black hair, was the very person that Slade had been looking for. Ringo looked more amused than anything over Slade’s distress.

"Your own brother," he said, looking at Slade like he was some kind of vicious, evil _thing_. "Tell me Slade, is _anyone_ really safe while you’re around? Or should I go tell Star that she should watch her back now, too?"

Slade wasn’t really hearing what Ringo had to say; being more focused on his injured brother. _How could this have happened? How could I have_ let _this happen? Saber, my own brother. I’m so sorry._ Slade had pressed his hands up against the glass, and was now leaning his head against it.

"Slade? Oh Sla-ade?" Ringo singsonged, his voice warbling up and down the scale on the last part of his sentence. Slade ignored him.

When Ringo grabbed Slade’s left shoulder, though, Slade pulled out of Ringo’s grasp and ran. Ringo stumbled, falling to the floor and bruising his right wrist. Unfortunately, this was the same wrist that he wore the watch he had won from Mac on.


	5. Time’s up!

Slade ran through the halls and corridors of the Space Knight Command Center, not knowing just where he was trying to get to. The only thing he could see at the moment was the image of Saber, lying helpless and injured in the medical center. _If I hadn’t been so weak Saber wouldn’t be in this situation. If I hadn’t been so slow, I might have been able to do something to help him._ All these thoughts and more were running through Slade’s mind as he ran, and when he finally managed to make himself stop and look around, Slade was only mildly surprised to find that he was standing just outside the gym.

Walking inside, Slade found that he was the only one there at the moment. That suited him just fine. Slade strode over to one of the weight machines. Moving the selector pin to the highest possible weight setting, and then taking off his padded vest, Slade sat down and began to methodically pump iron. He had soon gotten himself into a comfortable rhythm, and was even able to put the image of Saber lying unconscious in the medical wing out of his mind.

Once Slade had tired of working out on the weight machine, he went over to one of the punching bags and started beating on it. Slade hadn’t bothered to get a pair of gloves or even to wrap up his hands, so the rough material of the bag had soon taken most of the top layer of skin off of his knuckles. Slade was too focused on the image burned into his brain; that of his brother lying unconscious in the med bay, to notice the splatters of his own blood that now decorated the punching bag.

Slade’s shoulders were soon heaving with exhaustion, but he forced himself to go on, working through a kata that he knew by heart. Running though all the martial arts katas that he could remember, Slade tried again not to think about how badly he had failed. _Saber, I’m so sorry that I couldn’t protect you. I should have been there for you; we’re brothers. And you’re the only family I have left now. I’ll do better next time though, I promise._

After a long time, even Slade couldn’t deny his failing body the rest it needed. Leaving the gym, Slade made himself a promise to return early tomorrow. As he made his way back to his room, Slade really _felt_ all the aches in his body for the first time since he had started working out. By the time he had gotten back to his quarters, Slade was more than ready to collapse into bed and sleep for the rest of the night.

1010001

Slade woke up earlier than he had planned, driven from sleep by another nightmare. Slade had never asked Saber if he ever had nights where he couldn’t get to sleep; nights where his fears and uncertainties kept him awake into the small hours of the morning or else made him wake up earlier than he ever would have wanted to, because they simply weren’t the type to talk about such things.

Slade breathed deeply, steadying himself and reminding himself that it had only been a dream. Saber was strong, a small wound like that wouldn’t be enough to kill him. _Besides, if there’s one thing I know about my brother, it’s that he’s just as stubborn as I am. He’ll probably be up and around in no time._ Keeping that thought in the forefront of his mind, Slade got up to go take a shower.

Once he was done, and dressed in a clean uniform, Slade tried to decide whether he would prefer to go down to the cafeteria and have breakfast first, or just go back down to the gym and work out some more. A persistent growling in his stomach made the decision all the easier for Slade, so once he had gotten out of his room, Slade made for the cafeteria.

As he walked, Slade tried to remind himself not to think about the fact that he would have to eat alone today. Saber would normally be there, just to keep his brother company. It made the days just a little less lonely somehow. Slade, knowing that he would have to do without that comfort for today at least, made up his mind not to let anyone know just how much it affected him.

Slade had learned a long time ago that there were very few people in the world that he could share his weaknesses and insecurities with. With Saber gone, at least temporarily, that number had gotten even smaller. Walking out of his room, Slade put on his usual mask of stoic indifference. Walking down the halls without his brother by his side was an experience Slade wasn’t at all eager to repeat.

11001001

In the cafeteria Slade sat as his usual place, at his usual table, and tried to make himself forget that Saber wasn’t just up getting some food for himself. It was better if he didn’t think about things like that, Slade had learned. Saber was really the stronger one when it came to dealing with messy things like emotions, or maybe it was just that his brother wasn’t one to let his emotions control him.

Either way, it didn’t change the fact that Slade needed his brother to lean on, even if he wasn’t going to admit it out loud. Once he was almost finished with his breakfast, Slade heard the familiar sound of the alert. He had long since learned how to distinguish between the so-called ‘general-alert’ and the ‘emergency-alert’. This was the former, which meant that Slade was due in the briefing room.

Since he had already had enough time to finish his breakfast, Slade made his way down to the briefing room. All of the other Space Knights were sitting at the table, apparently having waited till Slade joined them to start the meeting. There was a discussion of the battle that had happened the previous day, one that Slade wasn’t at all interested in joining.

Going through that battle once had been more than enough for him, and to make it all worse, he was still dealing with the aftermath of that battle. Commander Jamison was the first to notice Slade’s silence, or at least he was the first to comment on it.

"Listen, Slade. You’ve no cause to brood over this business," Jamison said, taking in Slade’s slumped posture, hopeless expression, and general air of dejectedness. "No one blames you for the damage to the Blue Earth, or for Saber’s injuries."

Ringo, who had been sitting quietly after having given his report, looked over at Slade with an expression that said almost as clearly as words ‘I do’.

"However," Jamison went on, unaware of the wordless exchange between two of his Space Knights. "Your sudden loss of strength is still a mystery. What happened out there, Slade? Can we expect something like this to happen the next time you transform into Teknoman? For that matter, should we now expect something like this to happen to Saber?"

Just then, the main screen activated.

"Greetings, Space Knights," General Gault said in his usual solicitous tone, and with his usual arrogant smile.

"General Gault again," Maggie muttered. "That man makes me nervous."

"Quiet," Mac said urgently, covering her mouth with both hands. "He’s not deaf, you know."

"I observed your last battle with interest. I’d like to congratulate you on a hard-fought victory. And a costly one, as well. I heard what happened to Saber; such a tragedy. I guess your Teknoman Slade still has a few glitches, eh?"

"General Gault, what can the Space Knights do for you?" Jamison asked.

"You’ve already guessed that this isn’t a social call," Gault said, a small smirk still in place. "As usual, Commander, you’ve assessed the situation perfectly."

"Go on," Jamison said calmly. "We’re all ears."

"As you must know, our manpower is stretched pretty thin, so the Allied Earth Military is assigning you another mission," he smiled in that arrogant way of his. "I’m sorry to have to interrupt your R&R this way," he leaned forward, setting his chin on his folded hands, his smile seeming all the wider for his more casual posture. "But you recall that Radam construct you intercepted last time? Well, more of them are coming. A whole cluster of them, in fact."

"No," Slade muttered, too low for anyone but Saber to have heard or taken notice of; if his brother had been there with him, if _he_ hadn’t failed so badly… "Not again."

"Our tactical fighter-wings are barely holding their own against the squadrons of Spider-crabs the enemy’s throwing at us," Gault said, his demeanor becoming more serious. "Losses are reaching a critical stage. The fighter pilots can’t be expected to withstand that onslaught, _and_ deal with whatever it is that the Radam have descending toward the planet. That’s where you come in: you’re to intercept and destroy these Radam constructs. There’s no time to waste; you are to patch up the Blue Earth and get into position at once. I understand that you will only be at half-strength during this mission, but that’s no excuse for slacking off. Oh yes, one more thing I almost forgot," he grinned down at them, his demeanor jovial again. "I sincerely hope that your sole remaining Teknoman performs better than he did last time, or I shall be forced to take the both of them off your hands."

"Like he’d really be heartbroken," Mac said derisively. "That way, he’d break up the Space Knights _and_ get his hands on the twins at the same time."

"What would be gained by your taking Slade and Saber under your command, General Gault?" the Commander asked; and Slade almost thought he could detect a note of warning in the man’s voice, but maybe he was just imagining it.

"We might be more capable than you of bringing out their full potential as a fighting force," Gault said, and Slade wanted to throttle him; the bastard. "We’d hate to see them go to waste. Meanwhile, Commander, best of luck on your mission."

The meeting broke up not soon after that, and Slade left quickly; he wasn’t really in the mood to deal with people more than he had to today, and he knew that Commander Jamison would call him when it was time for him to hear about the specifics of whatever operation they were going to launch to deal with those teknopods the Radam had been sending down. He just wanted to go back to his room, just to lay in his bed and try not to think of anything. Not sleep; too many nightmares awaited him there.

Hearing someone fall into step beside him, Slade made a concerted effort to ignore them. It was either Star or Ringo, and he didn’t want to deal with them, for one reason or another; Ringo would be taunting him, and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with Star’s mothering at the moment.

"Slade?"

It _was_ Star after all. He moved faster, not wanting to look like he was running away, but also wanting to get away from her if he possibly could.

"Slade, wait," she said, catching hold of his arm as he was just about to turn a corner. "Why don’t we go see your brother?"

"Why?" he demanded, pulling away; he didn’t want to spend the time staring his failure in the face, despite the fact that he knew that he would be doing so sometime later.

And probably not so much later, either.

"I think it’ll be good for you," she said, reaching out for him again; this time he let her, since it was obvious that she would keep trying until she got ahold of him. "Just to see that things aren’t as bad as you think."

"Fine." Saber would have sighed under the same circumstances, trying to throw her off with humor and exaggeration. "Let’s go."

She smiled, and he let her lead him back through the halls toward the infirmary. The door slid open in front of them, the same way that every door in the Space Knight Command Center did, but what was behind them was something that he hadn’t honestly wanted to see for at least a few more hours. Saber lay there, a breathing-mask fixed over his face, and the not-entirely-reassuring beep of the heart-rate monitors loud in the silence. Everything else was the same as he had seen while Ringo was taunting him: the white bandages that contrasted so sharply with Saber’s black hair, the slow, even breathing through the tube that provided his brother with oxygen. Everything was just like last time; nothing had changed.

He didn’t want to see this; it was his failure that had caused Saber to end up like this, and he had wanted to at least avoid confronting this for the morning, to at least have time to wake up properly before he saw this.

"See?" Star said, turning to smile at him. "It’s not as bad as Ringo makes it out to be; your brother’s going to be fine. He’ll be up before you know it."

"I hope you’re right," he muttered, staring down at the injured, unconscious form of his brother as he continued to breathe slowly.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, not wanting to make this situation anymore _real_ than it already was, Slade just stared down at Saber. He knew that his brother was beyond him; out of the reach of even their telepathy, and he would have given anything to make that not be true. He just wanted to have it be yesterday, and not today; to have the last of his brothers back by his side.

Hearing the general-alert was almost a relief; knowing that he wouldn’t have to _think_ so much anymore, that he could just _do_ things. Knowing that there would finally be something to take his mind off just how badly he had failed. Even facing Ringo wouldn’t be so bad, with the promise of something to take his mind off of Saber.

When they both arrived back in the Space Knights’ comm. room, Commander Jamison nodded to them. He seemed to be waiting on someone else, though. When Ringo brushed past them, with a smile for Star that turned into a leer when he passed by into Slade’s line of sight, the Commander nodded and went to the computers.

He’d obviously activated some sort of battle-sim, since the next thing Slade saw on the holo-screen was a figure that he took to be himself, and a ship that seemed to be the Blue Earth, orbiting one of the teknopods while shooting at it. The simulated teknopod was soon reduced to nothingness.

"We’ll launch tomorrow at zero-twelve-hundred," the Commander said. "The Blue Earth will remain in reserve and will not engage the enemy. Slade, that means that you will have to carry the load this time."

"Slade, you don’t think you’ll have the same problem again, do you?" Maggie asked, drawing his attention with a hand on his left shoulder, and then clasping her hands under her chin. "I mean, I’m only thinking it would be such a shame to let them break up the team."

"Sure, why let _them_ do it, when Slade’s doing such a good job of it, himself."

"Ringo!" Star snapped, an obvious warning in her voice.

"What? Even _I_ have to admit that the guy put on a really good act." Slade tried not to let Ringo’s words get to him; he was an idiot, and a jackass, and he didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. Saber would have said just as much, if he’d been here to hear any of this. "I bet Saber didn’t suspect a thing. Ow!"

"Shut _up_ , Ringo," Star hissed, her fist still slightly raised from hitting Ringo’s hard head with it. "It wasn’t Slade’s fault; he and Saber were both unconscious in the back of the Blue Earth, if you can recall that far."

"Heck of a swing you’ve got there, Star," Ringo said, still rubbing his head; he knew when someone was playing dumb, and Ringo was obviously determined to do so.

Best to ignore him, then; nothing would be resolved if he let himself get dragged into a fight, despite the fact that Ringo was so obviously trying to provoke one.

"That’s enough of that, Ringo." Commander Jamison’s voice was calm as ever, yet it had the undertones of a harsh reprimand; almost reminiscent of… someone else. "We’re all sorry about what happened to Saber, but nobody’s to blame. He has yet to regain consciousness, but Sickbay reports that his condition is stable, and the prognosis is encouraging. I have every hope that he’ll be back with us soon. Obviously, though, not in time for this mission. So Slade, you will have to perform this mission on your own. Can you do that?"

"Yeah." _I guess_ , he thought but didn’t say.

"Good," Commander Jamison said, with a nod to him. "Mac? How long will it take you to install a laser-cannon or two and wire them into the ship’s guidance systems?"

"No time at all," Mac said, sounding pleased. "Been wanting to do that for awhile now."

"Yeah, it’s about time, sir," Ringo interjected, obviously pleased himself. "Give the Blue Earth the means to fight for herself, and we won’t need those Teknomen anymore. Not even the one we _still have_."

He just knew that Ringo was leering at him, or else he had that sickening grin on his face; Slade _wasn’t_ going to let himself be dragged into a fight. Not here, and not with people who’d taken him and his brother in when they didn’t even have to. He _wasn’t_.

"Stop it, Ringo, right now!" Maggie snapped.

"Just drop it," Star said, clearly at the end of her tolerance for Ringo’s antics; she wasn’t the only one. "This doesn’t do anyone any good."

"I can’t believe you two," Ringo said, his voice quivering with barely suppressed mirth. "This guy’s own twin brother is lying unconscious because of him. And if things don’t go well, he might never wake up. I hear head injuries are really touchy that way."

Saber would have kicked him in the shin, or stomped on his toes in passing; Slade just turned and left.

11100010

Watching as Slade walked away, his shoulders hunched, and tense as any number of whipcords, Ringo had about a second to feel the change in the air before Star belted him right across the cheek.

"Oww," he said, reaching up to touch his stinging cheek. "Star-"

"Not a word, Ringo," she all but snarled; he might have gone a bit too far with that last dig. "Not. One. _Word_."

"Leave," Maggie added; okay, he’d _definitely_ gone a bit overboard if _Maggie_ was looking at him like that. "Just _leave_ , Ringo," she snapped, when he started to open his mouth to apologize.

"If you think you’re going to get out of this by apologizing, think again," Star informed him flatly. " _We’re_ not the ones you should be apologizing to, Ringo."

No one would speak to him after that; heck, even the _Commander_ was giving him the gimlet eye, so he turned and left. He knew where Slade was bound to be headed, and as much as he didn’t actually _want_ to do it, he knew that no one would be particularly happy with him until he’d made up with Slade. Still, thinking back on the expression he’d seen on Slade face, just before the kid had turned to leave, he started to feel like a bit of a heel.

Slade and his brother _had_ protected them from some pretty horrible things; the Radam and those weird Teknomen of theirs being foremost among them, and he’d gone and mocked the kid after his twin brother – someone who was closer to him than anyone else – had been injured. It hadn’t even been the kid’s fault; he’d been conked out just like his brother, dead weight in the back of the Blue Earth’s cockpit.

He hated to say it, but he just might have been a bit too hard on the kid.

When he reached the infirmary, he went to the observation area outside Saber’s room. He didn’t want to crowd the kid, but he also wanted to see just what Slade was doing. He _might_ have misjudged the kid, but then again he might not have; he wanted to take the measure of the kid before he said anything, and the best way to do that was to just let him be himself when he thought he was alone.

Switching on the audio-receiver, he waited to hear what Slade would say to his brother. He didn’t have to wait that long: "I’m sorry," he heard, followed by a quiet sigh. "You ended up here because I wasn’t fast enough. Because I wasn’t good enough to stop you from getting hurt. And I know now why that was; what started going wrong."

Ringo nearly laughed; it looked like he’d been _way_ off base, this time. Slade was one of _those_ types; the ones who wanted to take the world on their own shoulders, no matter if it broke them in the end.

The sad monologue continued: "I know what I have to do now, though. Before I hurt anyone else, I’ll sacrifice myself. I just wanted you to know that; I’ll miss you, brother."

He saw Slade tuck his brother’s right hand back under the covers, and sighed as the kid left. _And I usually consider myself such a good judge of character,_ he thought, with a subdued chuckle. Nothing for it now, though; he’d have to make some form of amends, or else he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

Sighing again, he walked into the treatment room where Saber was convalescing.

"Sorry, kid," he said, wanting to get the easy part over with first. "I guess I might have misjudged your brother a bit," he sighed again, listening to the deep, rhythmic breathing of someone who might as well have been a coma patient. "And you, too. I admit it; I was kind of bull-headed about… well, pretty much everything where you boys were concerned. I’ll make it up to you, though: I won’t let your brother die out there, no matter how much that lunkhead might think he has to."

His piece said, Ringo turned and left the infirmary in search of Slade. It was time to flagellate himself in service to the greater good…

0001001

When he’d found himself wandering the halls of the Command Center, trying to avoid anyone and everyone – especially Ringo, who’d seemed to be following him for some reason – Slade had decided to go hide himself in Saber’s room for awhile. It wouldn’t have done him any good to shut himself up in his own room, since anyone who was looking for him would check there first.

Besides, he needed this; needed to be surrounded by the reminders of his brother, what few there were in this room, so that he didn’t forget just what he had done. Or who he was really fighting for.

When he started to feel trapped in that room, too, Slade decided that the best thing for him would be to go outside. The fresh, brisk desert air might do him some good, or at least take his mind off of his problems for awhile.

Levering himself up and out of Saber’s bed, Slade opened the door and checked the hall on both sides. He didn’t want to deal with people in general, and Ringo in particular, and the best way to not have to deal with people was to not encounter them in the first place. He knew that better than most, having encountered his fair share of people who he would have just as soon avoided.

It was always better to be out of sight when you wanted to stay out of mind.

Making his way out of his brother’s room, Slade quickly and quietly made his way through the corridors of the Command Center. He didn’t have any particular destination in mind; he just wanted to be out in the open air, to try to clear his head before the battle tomorrow. Finally making it out of the now-stifling air of the Command Center, he found that true night had just started to fall.

The moon was just starting to rise to its apex in the sky, and Slade found himself looking up at it, and trying not to think. It was almost like being back home; though their house was far enough away from the lights of the city that you could have seen about a million stars in the sky while the moon was out. That wasn’t the case here, though, but he could still pretend…

He could pretend that, if he turned to look back over his shoulder, he would see their old, comfortable two-story house; that if he scuffed his feet against the ground, he would hear the soft rustling of the grass; that if he just waited long enough, one of his siblings would come out to tease him about his mind constantly wandering and then tell him he was late for dinner… he could pretend all of that, but none of it would be true. So, all he did was to continue to stare up at the moon. There was something about the moonlight; something that soothed and unsettled, something that simultaneously drew and repulsed, him at the same time.

It was almost like there was something he should know, but didn’t; he was probably over-thinking things again, though.

"Slade?"

Turning to look behind himself at last, and breaking the illusion that he was anywhere familiar, Slade faced Star.

"Hey," he said, not sure if he was grateful for the interruption or not.

"Penny for your thoughts," she said, as she walked up to stand beside him.

"A penny?" he asked, playing the role of the amnesiac that he and Saber had made for themselves; Con- _he_ had been an avid collector of old coins, back in the day, and one of the prizes of his collection had been one of the last pennies that had ever been minted; all shiny copper, and sealed in a plastic case so it would stay that way. "What’s a penny?"

"I’m not really sure, myself," she admitted, not sounding particularly concerned. "It’s an old expression," she sighed. "That’s not what I really wanted to talk to you about, though."

"Really?" he asked, having expected something like that to be the case. "What is, then?" he asked over his shoulder, turning to look at the moon again.

"Don’t you think you should try to get some sleep tonight, instead of spending all your time staring up at the moon?"

"I can’t help it, Star," he said, not looking away from the satellite, large and full in the sky above him. "This just might be the last time I see it."

"Is this about what Ringo was saying to you earlier?" she asked, and he turned to look at her as she put a hand on his left shoulder. "Because if it is, you shouldn’t let it bother you like this. He was _completely_ out of line."

He was touched; he hadn’t given the Space Knights in general much reason to care about him, and here she did anyway. It was kind of a nice feeling; too bad it couldn’t last. "No, it’s not that. It’s just…" he tried to think of a gentle way to say what he had on his mind, but in the end he decided that – just like Saber had demonstrated in the battle yesterday that had landed them in this whole sorry mess to begin with – sometimes it was better just to be blunt and get things over with. "If someone told you that you would have to kill me, could you pull the trigger?"

He was looking her in the eyes when he asked, so he could clearly see the expression of dawning horror on her face; he could also feel her fingers digging into his shoulder as she gripped it harder. "What are you _saying_? This is hardly the time for gallows humor, Slade."

He sighed, looking back up at the moon; he shouldn’t really have expected her to understand. Not _that_ , anyway. "It’s not that." He turned to look her in the eyes again, wanting to convey the full seriousness of the situation. "In the last battle with the Radam, I wasn’t just losing my strength, Star, I was losing what makes me a human being." He could remember it more clearly now, now that he wasn’t the only thing standing between the last of his brothers and a cold, lonely death at the metaphorical hands of a bunch of Spider-crabs. "There’s a kind of a time limit. For up to thirty minutes, I’m in complete control of my powers. But, after that, the tekno power takes over. The evil that made me what I am gets the upper-hand on me. I can feel darkness overwhelming me; turning me into one of _them_."

Glaring down at the inoffensive steel-plating of the Command Center’s floor, he breathed deeply. Not so much from all the talking that he’d just done, but to avoid the gaze of the one Space Knight who had seemed to actually _accept_ his presence and that of his brother. What must she think of him now? He’d just revealed that Ringo had been perfectly right to mistrust the two of them when they had first appeared: they were just as dangerous as any of the Radam, when you got right down to it; maybe even moreso, since they could convince people by their actions that they were all on the same side, and then they could turn on them with almost no warning.

It would have almost been better if they’d just been the enemy, with no pretense of being on the same side in the first place. _No_ ; they should have just left when they first had the chance, and dealt with the consequences on their own. That way, there would have been no one to suffer the consequences of their own actions.

No one to be hurt if they failed.

"Slade, you don’t mean-" Star sounded worried; he looked back at her, and saw that it wasn’t fear _of_ him, the way he’d honestly been expecting, but fear _for_ him. It didn’t make any _sense_. "Will this happen to Saber, too?"

"Yes," he said, closing his eyes; this had to be said, he had to say it. "We’re the same, Star; anything that happens to me will happen to him just the same," he looked her dead in the eyes; she had to know how important this was, she had to _understand_. "So, if the battle against the Radam lasts longer than thirty minutes, you’ve got to tell Ringo to blast me out of the sky." _Not that he’s going to have much of a problem with that,_ added a sarcastic voice in the privacy of his mind, one that he could have easily mistaken for his brother if he hadn’t had so much experience with their telepathy. "Tell him to kill me, before I become one of the Radam’s monsters. And tell him." A second of hesitation, before he forced himself to go on. "Tell him that the same goes for Saber."

"Slade- I…" she looked stricken, and for a moment he almost stopped; but this had to be finished.

"Promise me!" he locked gazes; eye to eye, willing her to understand at last.

"I…" she took a breath, looking down for a moment, before clenching her fists and planting her feet. "I promise," she said, her voice holding a small quaver, but the gaze she locked on him was nearly as firm as his own.

"Thank you," he said.

Touching her right shoulder in passing, he turned and made his way back into the Command Center. He didn’t want to stare up at the moon anymore; Star was right, he was going to need all the sleep he could get. Especially since he was going to be alone out there this time.

10010010

It felt like someone had pulled the world right out from under her; knowing that Slade had just asked her to _kill_ him; even if Ringo would be the one to pull the trigger in that situation, she was going to be the one to give the order. That made it just as much her responsibility. Looking up at the moon for a few moments, she wondered briefly what Slade had found so enthralling about it. It was almost like he’d _needed_ to see it for some reason; that didn’t quite make sense, but then again, not much about the situation did.

_ She _ certainly hadn’t seen any evidence that Slade was… losing himself to his powers. He’d just seemed to be exhausted, and later dispirited by the loss of his brother’s constant presence. Still, it wasn’t as if she could conclusively say what Slade was overreacting; he knew much more about his and Saber’s powers than any of them, and as much as she might dislike the conclusions she had to draw from that, it didn’t make them any less likely to be true.

With a last look up at the full moon, Star turned and made for the comfort of her own room. She needed sleep, and then she needed to think. Neither of which would happen if she just stood out here under the moon.

00100101

The night passed with varying degrees of ease; Slade, as he settled into his bed, was troubled by visions of what might happen to his brother; Star and Ringo, slept comparatively well. Though Ringo moreso than Star, since he didn’t know what she knew. Eventually, however, all of the Space Knights found their way to a restful sleep.

001000101

Once he had regained enough awareness to recognize his surroundings, which didn’t happen until he had thrashed himself out of bed, Slade stared at the wall for a few moments, before pushing himself up off the floor. He’d called out for Saber in his sleep, or at least he remembered doing it. Maybe he’d just been dreaming _that_ , too; there was no real way for him to know, since he was cut off entirely from his brother.

About the only thing that he had completely accepted as a benefit of working with the Space Knights was the fact that his quarters had their own bathroom. That meant that he could easily get in a shower before he went out to have breakfast. Or, sometimes just when he needed to relieve some stress.

Once he’d finished with his shower, and toweled himself dry, he threw his old clothes in the hamper on the wall by the door, and left his bathroom to get himself a new uniform. Dressing quickly, not in the mood to linger over things, and having no one else to talk to during his morning routine in any case. Sooner than usual, or else all too soon, Slade was ready to leave his room in search of breakfast.

Doing so without a look back, Slade made a decision; he would go and see Saber afterward. This might end up being the last day that he was alive to see his brother, and he didn’t want to have any regrets. Ringo would know about his problem soon enough, and he would probably be more than willing to pull the trigger at the slightest hint of trouble.

Slade wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that; he wouldn’t want to end up killing any of the Space Knights if something happened to him, but no one in their right mind would relish the thought of dying.

He was no different. Leaving those morbid thoughts behind him as he settled down at an empty table at the far end of the cafeteria, Slade began to eat methodically. He didn’t hurry, since that would have caused more problems than just a bit of unease on his part about the delay. So he ate at a normal pace, steadily working through the large meal he had in front of him.

He was going to need all the calories he could get, if he was going to be any good to the Space Knights on this mission; especially since he was going to be fighting alone this time.

When he started to hear footsteps, Slade dismissed them initially. He’d been hearing footsteps ever since he’d sat down; just the normal comings-and-goings of the people eating here. When the footfalls drew closer to him, he just figured that they were heading for one of the few tables nearby. There hadn’t been any real way to completely avoid the people in this room, but he’d separated himself from them as much as he could.

He didn’t particularly feel like dealing with anyone at the moment.

"Slade?" Looking up from his meal, he saw Star just settling down into a chair opposite him.

Saber would have sarcastically offered her a seat at the table, or else just given her a Look as she settled herself down; all he did was to watch, and then turn his attention back to the little food that still remained on his plate. Once he was finished, he could leave; he could go say what might be his last goodbye to his twin brother.

"I wanted to talk to you about what you said last night," she said.

He could have ignored her, and just left, but she had pushed over a bowl of food just before she had finished speaking; the smell of it was making his mouth water. He hadn’t even known that beef taquitos were an _option_ here, much less that they could be served for breakfast. In a way, he almost felt nostalgic, before he ruthlessly quashed the feeling; now wasn’t the time to think of home, and it probably never would be again.

Relaxing his legs, having tucked them up under his body in preparation for getting out of the chair he was sitting on, he stretched back out.

"What did you want to say to me?" he asked, touching the side of the bowl; it was still a bit too hot for him to hold comfortably, which might have been the whole idea, but then it could have been just the way the food was cooked.

He wasn’t going to jump to any stupid conclusions.

"I just wanted to let you know, no matter what happens out there, I’m going to do my best to ensure that all of us make it back home safely."

He sighed. "That’s a nice sentiment, but you know what could happen if my time-limit runs out. You _know_ how dangerous I am now, Star," he said firmly. "Don’t try to pretend everything’s still the same."

11010110

Slade was looking at her with that intense expression of his; he was clearly still troubled by their discussion last night, and just as clearly, he wasn’t going to talk about it. He’d finished eating by now; he’d seemed to have enjoyed those taquitos, so that was something to remember in the future.

"Where are you going now, Slade?" she asked, though she thought she could guess.

He paused for a moment, as if he was going to say something, but then he continued walking without another word.

Gathering her own tray and dishes, Star left the cafeteria. Slade would prepare himself for the coming battle in his own way, and so would she. It was the only thing they really _could_ do.

11010100

Standing in the treatment room, listening to the soft sound of his brother’s breathing, Slade squeezed Saber’s hand. He wanted his brother to know that he was still all right. Since he knew that his brother was beyond the reach of their telepathy, he didn’t waste his time calling out to him that way. He was already facing his failure, he didn’t need any more reminders of it.

"I wish you were coming on this mission today, brother," he squeezed tighter briefly. "I wish you hadn’t been injured at all," he admitted.

The door hissed softly open; he thought it was one of the doctors, right up until the new person spoke: "I was wondering when I would finally manage to pin you down, Slade," Ringo said, with a soft chuckle. "I’d swear you can almost walk through walls when you want to."

Saber would have said something, probably something sarcastic, to get Ringo out of the room; more than that, his brother probably would _know_ just what to say to get Ringo to leave. Saber was good at reading people like that. He just stayed silent, hoping Ringo would leave him alone.

"You don’t have to say anything," Ringo continued, after a few seconds of silence. "Just… I want you to know that I’m sorry about what I said yesterday," he sighed. "I was out of line. I admit it, and I apologize. If it means anything to you, I’m going to do my best to make it up to you. I just wanted you to know that, Slade."

That… really hadn’t been what he had expected at all, and as he turned to watch Ringo’s departing form vanish behind the sliding door, he sighed. It wasn’t likely to last, this new acceptance that Ringo had for him; once Star told him the truth, things were likely to go back to the way they had been when he, Saber, and Ringo had met for the first time. Only now, he would have a valid _reason_ for mistrusting them, rather than doing it out of spite the way he had seemed to be before.

He wasn’t quite sure he liked that thought.

0001001

Seeing Slade so depressed, where it would have given him a certain degree of satisfaction, only made him realize just how important the kid’s brother was in his life. Those two must have gone through one hell of an experience to have bonded so closely; probably not a pleasant one, either, with the Radam’s invasion and their constant rain of mutant space crabs.

Checking his watch, he figured that now was as good a time as any to start heading for the Blue Earth’s hangar. He still had about eight minutes or so, but there wasn’t really anything he could _do_ in eight minutes. At least, nothing that wouldn’t also run the risk – however small – of absorbing his attention and making him miss his launch deadline. He didn’t intend to miss this or any chance to inflict pain and devastation on the aliens invading his home.

On his way to the hangar, he met up with Star, and the two of them walked side-by-side for awhile. She seemed preoccupied with something, so he didn’t disturb her. When Slade joined up with them, there was a look of resigned sorrow on his face; his twin brother was still flat on his back in the infirmary, though, so Ringo didn’t look to closely at him.

He probably still wanted to be alone.

When they finally made it inside the Blue Earth, with nothing but the sounds of their own footfalls accompanying them on their way through the corridors, Ringo settled gratefully down into the pilot’s seat. Now wasn’t the time for distractions; now it was time to go hunt down whatever it was that those stupid aliens were trying to drop on them, so Slade could fry it and the three of them could head back to the Command Center.

And so Slade could go back to watching over his brother.

The last wisps of atmosphere vanished from the cockpit windows, he let out the deep breath he’d drawn. The launch itself was always exhilarating, especially in the Blue Earth, and he relished it. Not for long though; Star’s next words reminded him that they weren’t here to sightsee:

"I’ve got a pinger at T Mark 20," she said. "Must be that teknopod. Locking on to intercept."

"I’ve got news for you, Star: that’s more than just a teknopod," he said, with a definite feeling of apprehension as the large, lumpy purple shape became visible outside of the left-side window. "Geez, looks like some sort of a Spider-crab convention out there. Must be at least a hundred of them, just hanging out there waiting."

He knew full well what those mutant space crabs were waiting _for_ ; and so did Slade, since the kid was out of his seat like a shot and heading for the aft section and their main air lock.

"Slade," Star said, pinning him with a look, even as he stopped to look back. "Be careful out there. And try to wrap things up quickly, all right? I’d like to get back to the Command Center before lunch."

"Yeah," he said, winking. "Remember, you’ve got someone waiting for you back at the Command Center."

Slade gave him an inscrutable look for that; it was gone too quickly for him to make heads-or-tails of it, but given the way he’d treated the kid and his brother while they were trying to settle into their new roles, he guessed that he shouldn’t really be expecting anything else.

11101010

Standing in the air lock, alone with the sound of his own breathing, Slade made a concerted effort to ignore the pangs in his heart. He was going to have to focus on what was happening in front of him, not back on what he was wishing hadn’t. It was the only way that he was going to be able to do anyone any good.

Especially now, when he was going to have to fight alone.

"Tekno-power!" he shouted, all the louder, to distract himself from the sound of his own voice; and the lack of his brother’s.

Flying free into the void of space as he transformed, Slade took a deep – though admittedly unneeded – breath to steady himself. He knew what he was facing now, he _knew_ the dangers, but he also knew that if it came down to the worse case scenario he would be able to count on Ringo to do what was necessary. Somehow, though, that thought didn’t comfort him as much as he had been expecting it to.

"Teknoman Slade!" he exclaimed.

The Spider-crabs were on him before he had finished speaking, and he drew one of the halves of his teknolance and started slashing. Normally, he would have been joking and bantering with Saber while the two of them slaughtered their way through Darkon’s legions; but now he was fighting alone, and he didn’t feel anywhere near in the mood for levity. The Spider-crabs came at him in silence, and they died in silence.

It didn’t feel quite right, but then nothing about this situation really was; things hadn’t been _right_ for too long, and there was no reason to believe that they ever would be again.

When the Spider-crabs started to spit streams of sticky venom at him, Slade gritted his teeth and hissed in fury. This was the same thing that had caused him so much trouble before, and had nearly ended up getting him and Saber killed. It might _still_ end up getting him killed, if he got caught by them and ended up being forced past his time-limit.

Dodging and weaving through the swarming mass of Spider-crabs, he growled deeply in his throat as one of them managed to latch onto him. Drawing the other half of his teknolance, he jammed it into the thing’s head deeply enough to kill it, then joined the two halves together and slashed another one in half before it could make another aggressive move. Pausing for a moment to collect himself, he flew back into the fray with renewed purpose.

This wasn’t going to end until he ended it; and he had to do it _quickly_ , for everyone’s sake.

Slashing, hacking, and thrusting with his teknolance, Slade abruptly decided to take more drastic measures. There were too many for him to deal with using conventional methods, at least with any degree of confidence that he would have time to do so. So, it was time for more unconventional methods.

"Convert to Tekno-battle Mode!"

His armor folded down, rearranging itself into what felt like a much sleeker, more dynamic shape, and he felt energy almost literally exploding out of him. Slamming his way through the onrushing ranks of Spider-crabs, he felt a dull sort of satisfaction as they exploded or were burned out of existence in his wake. But, when he turned around to deal with the teknopod, he found himself facing rank upon rank of fresh ones.

Cursing under an unnecessary breath, he raised his lance. He didn’t have the energy left for another secondary transformation. And this time, he was on his own.

11001001

Watching Slade as he fought the advancing swarms of Spider-crabs, swarms that never seemed to end, Star knew that she would have to do something. He’d been out there for twenty minutes; understandable considering what he was facing, but if he stayed out there too long… She didn’t like to consider the possibilities, but Slade had certainly sounded sincere when he was speaking to her.

At the very least, _he_ had believed what he was saying to her.

"Ringo, we can’t just sit here anymore," she said, turning to look back at the man who Slade had chosen to trust to kill him when… _if_ the time ever came. "We have to do something to help him."

"There’s really nothing we _can_ do, Star," Ringo said, sounding like he was trying to be reasonable; heck of a time for him to start. "We’re not to engage the enemy; those were the old man’s orders."

She was just about to say something, maybe bring up a few of his more hair-brained stunts back in the day, when the Blue Earth was rocked by a sudden, harsh impact. The face of a Spider-crab, looming outside the forward windows, gave her no possible doubt about what had hit them.

"I don’t think we have a choice anymore," she said tersely; then, as electricity crackled over the panels in front of her, she screamed. "Losing power! Controls not responding!"

"Yeah! And look what it’s doing to the paint job!" Ringo shouted, sounding more indignant than anything.

She didn’t know quite how to respond to that, so she figured that it was better not to say anything.

"Time to check out these pea-shooters Mac installed," Ringo said roughly, and she heard the hums and beeps of the targeting-computer locking on. "Counter me!"

She could see the lasers as they were fired, burning through the intervening space and driving off the Spider-crab that had attacked them.

"That’s not bad," he said, with a relief in his voice that she couldn’t feel a bit of.

"Ringo, listen to me: no matter what the Commander says, we have to go help Slade now," she said; she’d been hoping that this situation wouldn’t come up, that she wouldn’t have to tell Ringo what might happen, and to have him worry the way she herself was doing. "He’s almost out of time."

"What? Out of _time_?" he looked just about as confused as she had felt, last night while Slade was telling her nearly the same thing. "What are you talking about, Star?"

"Slade told me last night," she said, taking a deep breath and trying to steady herself; it didn’t work very well, but then this wasn’t really a normal situation. "He has this time limit; he can fight for thirty minutes, no more."

"What’s this time limit you’re talking about?" he demanded, starting to sound like he was becoming irate. "Is something going to happen to him that I should know about?"

"After thirty minutes, he…" she trailed off, unable to continue for a moment, but then she forced herself onward. "He’ll become evil; he’ll become one of _them_. He made me promise to kill him before that could happen."

The only upside that she could see to Saber’s not being there at the moment, was that she didn’t _have_ to tell Ringo about what might happen to him. She wasn’t entirely sure how he would react. Especially with Saber helpless in the infirmary the way he was now.

1110101

He was starting to sympathize with Saber now, now that he was starting to become weak and dizzy. When he felt something slam into the back of his neck, he only realized that it was Spider-crab venom from the way it wrapped around his neck. That wasn’t all of it, though, since the next part of his body to be coated with venom was his left arm, and then his stomach and his left and right legs.

He tried to slice through it with his teknolance, but all that accomplished was to give the Spider-crabs a chance to snare his _right_ arm with their venom. Screaming curses that went unheard in the airless void, Slade began to feel the now-familiar, hated disorientation that meant that he was nearly at his absolute limit. Trying to brute-force his way out of their trap with his thrusters didn’t seem to be working, so when the Blue Earth’s new laser cannons sheared through a good deal of the strands holding him in place, he was both pleased and relieved.

Cutting through the remainder, he jetted away; kicking his legs over his head in a backwards flip, he landed atop the Blue Earth and gratefully let it carry him closer to the teknopod.

"Thanks, Ringo," he said, tapping the Blue Earth’s radio through some means he wasn’t in any mood to look too closely at. "Pretty nice shooting back there."

"Yeah, it wasn’t half bad," he heard the man respond. "Okay, wrap it up, Slade. Time to punch out and hit the showers."

"Not yet," he said, raising his teknolance and bisecting a pair of Spider-crabs that had tried to approach the ship; it was possible that they’d been so concerned with his welfare that they’d forgotten the reason they’d come out here in the first place, he didn’t really believe it but it was possible. "Look up ahead."

"It’s the teknopod," he heard Star gasp over the radio. "It’s huge! It must be some kind of hive, or a colony for the Spider-crabs. All right Slade, deal with them, but you’ll have to be fast. You hear?"

"I hear you, Star," he said, smiling in passing even as he flew off the Blue Earth and began charging up his Tekno-bolt. "And thanks," he said so that only he could hear.

With the energies roiling inside him, he fired the Tekno-bolt he’d been holding back and watched with grim satisfaction as the teknopod burned. The last of his energy spent, he lay still while he tried to summon the reserve energy to move. He could hear Star calling for him, and she sounded worried enough that he wanted to answer. He _wanted_ to, but his body just didn’t seem to want to respond.

He needed a bit more time to recoup, that was clear.

When the Blue Earth fired on _him_ , though, he managed to tap a heretofore-unknown reserve of energy to get himself out of the range of those laser cannons. "Better luck next time, Ringo!" he shouted, irately tapping the Blue Earth’s radio. "I guess Star must’ve told you about my thirty minute time limit, but it hasn’t been _that_ long. I was just taking a little breather. If I were you, I’d get a better watch."

Landing in the main air lock, his energy all but gone, he let his transformation fade and forced himself to stay on his feet. He still had a bone to pick with Ringo.

"A little fast on the draw, weren’t you?" he panted, standing at the threshold of the cockpit. "I mean, come on." He had to be quick; he was starting to feel faint. "I know you’re not crazy about me, Ringo, but my time wasn’t… up…" he fell to his knees, "Yet…"

Slumping to the floor as his consciousness deserted him, Slade thought he heard Star calling for him.

0001011

With Slade conked out in the back of the cockpit, and Star fussing over him the way she tended to, Ringo knew it was up to him to get them all safely back to the Command Center. He was a little disconcerted by what Slade had said; Star had seemed perfectly sincere about what she was saying, and he knew her well enough to know that _she_ had believed what she was telling him. That only left Slade; he didn’t know _why_ the kid had told Star that he would need to be killed if he went over some arbitrary time-limit, but he figured it probably had a lot to do with his personality.

He _hated_ dealing with the self-sacrificing types.

The flight back to Earth was blissfully uneventful, at least if you didn’t count Star’s fussing over Slade the way she usually did. She was back at her station before he could ask her to do so, though, and she had even strapped Slade in so there wouldn’t be the risk of something like what had happened to Saber happening to him. Reentry was as smooth as he could ask for, which was good, since he didn’t feel much like dealing with Spider-crabs at the moment.

What he really needed, what he was keeping in the back of his mind for when they all got back down to Earth, was the fact that he needed to talk to Mac. If Slade hadn’t gotten out of the way when he did, then he would have ended up breaking his promise to Saber just a day after he’d made it. Sure, it hadn’t ended up happening, but he didn’t want to be the kind of guy who broke his promises like that.

Even if he _had_ thought it was necessary at the time, he still wasn’t particularly happy about it.

Once the Blue Earth was back in the landing bay again, he helped Star get Slade off and into the care of the medicos, and then went off in search of Mac. He found the man puttering around with his kites, something he did when there was nothing else impinging on his time.

"Ringo!" the large mechanic said jovially. "Have you come to return my watch, lad?"

"You wish, Mac," he said, with a chuckle. "I won this baby fair and square."

"If you just came here to gloat, I’m going to ignore you," Mac said, waving an admonishing stick at him. "And you mark my words, lad: I _am_ going to win my watch back from you one of these days."

"Of course you are, Mac. You just keep telling yourself that," he laughed, but then quickly sobered. "I was just wondering if you could take a look at it for me; it’s been giving me some trouble lately."

"All right," Mac said, with a somewhat bemused expression. "Sit down, and I’ll get my jewelers tools."

Waiting while Mac gathered his things, Ringo leaned against the wall, folded his arms, and hoped that whatever was going on with his new watch would turn out to be something innocuous. He hated to think of what he might have done if Slade hadn’t been awake enough to dodge that laser blast, or coherent enough to berate him for what he’d been perfectly within reason to see as an unprovoked attack. Still, if that lousy Spider-crab hadn’t smashed into the Blue Earth, he would have been able to take care of the watch himself.

"Hmm," Mac said, after he’d removed the back of the watch, and was tightening some loose bit with his little jeweler’s screwdriver. "That explains it. The gear’s out of alignment; it’s running about five minutes fast," when Mac looked up, the expression on his face quickly changed from curious to annoyed. "All right, laddie," he said, his Scottish accent thickening the way it always seemed to do in these situations. "That’s never happened before. What the heck did you do to it?!"

"What’re you talking about?" he asked, inwardly cursing; five minutes, he’d tried to kill Slade when he had only been transformed for _twenty-five_ minutes. The kid had been exhausted, no doubt about that, but there _hadn’t_ been a chance of him going evil on them.

He was really going to hate himself awhile for _that_ little near-fatal screwup.

"You did something to this watch," Mac said, starting to sound honestly _angry_.

"Give me a break," he said; of course, there _had_ been that time with Slade… the kid had run out of the room like the hounds of hell were on his heels, or like he just couldn’t stand to be there for even another _second_. Although, after what _he’d_ been saying to the kid; he’d landed on his wrist after Slade had broken his hold, but he wasn’t going to try blaming _Slade_ for that. "Well, now that you mention it, I might have forgotten to wind it once or twice."

"You did more than _that_ ," Mac said, lunging out of his seat with a raised fist.

"Well, what’s the use of it if it’s so delicate you can’t even handle it?" he asked.

He had a brief moment of _oh crap_ , when Mac brought a truly _huge_ double-ended wrench out from somewhere under the table he’d been working on his kites, and then cleared off to work on the watch. "Idiot!" the mechanic shouted, the wrench held up over his head. "That watch is hand-made! A priceless antique!" when he lunged out from behind the table, wrench still in hand, Ringo got the feeling that it would be best for him to be somewhere else. Somewhere _very_ else. " _Delicate_. Well, let’s see how delicate your _skull_ is!"

"Hey, knock it off, Mac," he called, having moved a bit closer to the door; one last effort at reason, then it was time to run like hell.

"I’ll knock it off!" Okay; time to _run like hell!_ "Get back here, flyboy!" He heard Mac shouting from behind him. For someone with his girth, he was pretty spry.

01010111

She had come into the treatment room on something of a whim, just wanting to see how Saber was doing so she could have something to talk to Slade about that _wasn’t_ as morbid as their last two conversations had been. It was plain luck that she’d seen Saber’s eyelashes fluttering, but it had been her choice to stay, to see if he was actually starting to wake up and not just shifting in his sleep.

When his blue eyes opened at last, though, she smiled.

Just a few seconds later, the door slid open to admit Slade, who had an expression of such complete, utter relief on his face, Star almost felt like she was intruding on a private moment just by being in the same room. When Slade looked at her for the first time, his green eyes slightly distant, she felt the weight of his gaze on her, and she knew that she was indeed intruding on an intensely private moment. Was about to be, at least; neither Slade nor Saber had actually _done_ anything, but there was a subtle tension in the air.

As if they were both waiting on her to leave; they really were such intensely private people.

"I’m going to go get the Commander, and tell him that your brother’s feeling better, Slade," she said, smiling at the expression of subdued relief that spread across the faces of both twins.

"Thanks, Star," Saber said, smiling softly back at her.

0100010110

Once Star had left the room, with the door hissing shut behind her, he wrapped his arms around Saber, buried his face in his younger twin’s chest, and shivered. He had come so close to losing him, in more than one way, that he found he couldn’t help the tears that were running out of his eyes.

_ [I’m sorry; I’m so sorry. I should have been faster, I should have been  _ better _. You almost died out there, and I-]_

_ [Relax, brother mine,] _ Saber said, his tone only slightly chiding. _[I’m still here, and I feel a lot better. Though I hope you didn’t get_ too _bored without me here.]_ There was a definite undertone of teasing in his brother’s voice, and when Slade looked back up at his brother’s face, he saw a ghost of Saber’s teasing smile.

"Feeling better now, brother?"

"Yeah," he said, standing back up and wiping the tears of relief from his eyes with the long, black cuff of his Space Knight uniform.

And not a moment too soon, as it turned out, because the door hissed open just then, letting the Commander, Star, Ringo, Maggie and Mac into the infirmary’s treatment room. Ringo, after looking over Saber as if to make sure that nothing was wrong with his brother – as strange a thought as Ringo worrying about either of them was – before heading determinedly for Slade himself.

"Hey," the blond said, sidling up to him. "I was wondering if I could have a bit of a chat with you? You know, in private?"

Taking in the expression on Ringo’s face; one of honestly, and a bit of trepidation, Slade decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt. He’d earned a bit of trust, though Slade had to admit that he was still fairly annoyed with him for jumping the gun the way he had. He wanted an explanation for that, at least. If nothing else, he wanted to know if he could actually trust Ringo to watch his back without trying to put a laser-bolt into it, or if it was just going to be him and Saber.

Either way, he’d at least know where they stood.

00101110

"I’m glad to see you looking so well, Saber," was the first thing that the Commander – the first thing that anyone who wasn’t Slade – said to him.

"Yeah," he said, with an airy smile. "Me, too. Nothing really bad happened while I was out, did it?"

"Not at all, lad," Mac said, with what he took to be a reassuring expression. "The Blue Earth went on another mission, but it’s fine."

"Your brother is, too," Maggie said, grinning at him. "I’m sure you’re glad to hear _that_."

Something in her tone of voice prompted Saber to smirk. "It sounds to me like _you’re_ the one who’s most pleased to hear that."

"Yeah," Tina said, laughing softly. "The way you go on about Slade, people might start getting ideas."

"Let them, why should I care?" Maggie said, making a brief noise of derision. "The man’s _gorgeous_ , and I’m head-over-heels _crazy_ about him. And, you know," she continued, giving Saber an exaggerated once-over that he couldn’t help but be amused by. " _You’re_ not so bad-looking yourself, Saber."

"Thanks," he said, grinning at her; she was kind of fun, he had to admit.

"We’re all friends here, Maggie," Tina said, the look on her face slightly teasing. "Don’t be shy. Tell us how you really feel."

"You’ve got to learn to stop holding back, lassie," Mac said, his accent a little more pronounced than he’d heard it before.

_ [Hey, brother. How are you and Ringo getting along? I saw you leave with him. Anything I’d want to know about?] _ he asked, even as he joined in with the laughter echoing around his bed.

_ [Just seeing where we stand, brother.] _

110101011

As Saber’s presence retreated to a warm glow at the back of his mind, Slade turned his attention back to Ringo. He wasn’t too pleased with the idea that a malfunctioning watch had nearly cost him his life, but willing to overlook it since Ringo had said he’d gotten it fixed. There were other, more pressing issues on his mind at the moment.

"When that moment came, and you thought you had to blast me out of the sky, tell me: you didn’t hesitate to pull that trigger, did you?" he asked, facing Ringo under the light of the second full moon of the month; he wanted to think it was some kind of auspicious occasion, but the moonlight still had that same, unnerving effect on him as it had before.

"Not for a minute," Ringo returned; he didn’t really know what to make of the smile on the other man’s face, but on Saber, he would have said that it was a teasing one. But he didn’t know Ringo enough to judge his facial expressions, so he wasn’t going to try. "Let’s get one thing straight: I never trusted you, and now that I know what you’re capable of becoming, I trust you even less. I’m always going to be watching you, with my finger on that trigger, ready to do what I gotta do."

There was a moment of silence between them; Slade let it stretch.

"I _will_ keep my watch in good condition, though; I wouldn’t want anyone to think I didn’t give you a fair chance, if worse ever came to worst."

"I appreciate your honesty," he said, turning to face the moon as Ringo left for the lighted interior of the command center.

_ [So, what’s the verdict, brother? Where do we stand?] _

_ [The same place we did when we got here, I guess,] _ he responded, with a soft sigh. _[Alone.]_

_ [Yeah; I guess it figures. Still,] _ Saber continued, sounding like he was considering something else entirely. _[It’s nice to have a place to stay, at least.]_

_ [Yeah,] _ he said, glancing back at the moon a last time; he wished he knew what it was that made him so eager to be in sight of it, and yet so unnerved by it at the same time. _[It is at that.]_

That was really all there was to say.

0001010011

Buried with his ship on the dark side of the moon, shielded from the humans and their spacecraft by the surface of the satellite itself, Darkon considered again the problem of his traitorous little escapees. That they were tenacious and determined, even going so far as to fight alone when the mood struck them just to keep themselves sharp, would have been a great asset if not for the fact that they were fighting for the very species that he was trying to subjugate. It was an annoying situation, to be sure, and all the moreso because he did not quite know how to handle it.

Perhaps he needed to consider different tactics, if he was to deal with the two little half-humans properly.

"So, it seems you have chosen to make your stand with _this_ little planet," he muttered, speaking aloud solely for his own benefit; the silence here could truly become oppressive at times. "It will be your _last_ stand, fools."


	6. Shattered Crystal

Settling back into his bed, after so long in the infirmary – even though he didn’t remember much except waking up with Slade and Star – was a nice change of pace. Now, if he could have avoided the nightmares, then things would have been perfect. Still, this was the best sleep he’d gotten without some kind of life-threatening injury, or drugs, to help him along; something to be grateful for, at least.

Turning to look over at his wall clock, he found that it was just a little under an hour before he and Slade would have normally gotten up for breakfast.

_ [Slade?] _

_ [You’re not dead.] _ There was genuine relief in his brother’s voice, and for a moment Saber felt a swell of sympathy.

_ [Good morning to you, too, brother mine,]  _ he said, trying to lighten the mood. _[Do you want to head down to breakfast now, or do you think you’d like to get more sleep?]_

_ [I don’t think I’m going to be able to get anymore sleep,] _ Slade said, sounding more than a little uneasy; Saber could definitely sympathize. _[I’ll meet you at your room, and then we’ll both head down to the cafeteria together.]_

_ [Sounds good to me, brother,] _ he said, levering himself up and out of bed, then starting to undress.

The clothes he’d worn to bed last night were pretty much only suitable for sleeping in, or for when he’d been recovering in the treatment room, but he couldn’t honestly expect to go traipsing around the Command Center at large in nothing but this. Not if he didn’t want to look crazy, at least. So, he was going to have to do something about them.

Washing up and changing, Saber made a mental note to get in a shower when he had the opportunity to get back to his room. It’d been entirely too long since he’d indulged himself with a long, hot shower, and he was looking forward to it. When he was finished with his morning routine, Saber left the bathroom, tossed his sleepwear into the hamper, and went over to his small closet to get another uniform.

It could have been annoying, wearing the same kind of clothes day in and day out, if he let himself think that way, at least. Still, given how many things there were to distract him from the niggling little details of life like what he wore and such, Saber figured that he’d be able to cope. Well, that and the fact that he didn’t actually _have_ anything besides spare Space Knight uniforms to wear.

Heading over to the door, Saber opened it to find Slade waiting for him there. There was a look of profound relief on his face, and Saber tried not to remember the reasons for it. It would be enough that he and Slade were back together; they wouldn’t let it be any other way.

"Well, let’s go have some breakfast, brother mine," he said, smiling as Slade’s expression settled back into its usual stoic lines.

"Yeah," Slade said, with a small, brief smile. "Let’s go."

101001010

While he waited for the teknopod that he had come to consider his own to finish healing his body, Gunnar seethed over the injuries to his pride; such wounds as _those_ would not be so easily salved. He was supposed to be better than the traitors; he was _complete_ , while the two of them had been unable to complete their own transformations for whatever reason. It was infuriating: he had been beaten by _half-creatures_ , those who still clung to the miserable little dustball that Lord Darkon had determined to conquer.

That was not the way things were meant to go; _he_ was the one who should have been defeating them with ease, no matter the fact that they possessed the advantage of superior numbers.

Instead, he was within the halls of Lord Darkon’s great ship, having been forced to spend an interminable amount of time recovering from the wounds that those vile little half-humans had inflicted on him. It was infuriating.

Oh, there were no physical wounds on his flesh, no scarring such as that he had inflicted on one of the traitors; the scar that Slade bore on his face was a point of pride for him, and he only regretted the fact that he hadn’t been able to mark Saber in the same manner.

His armor, however, had been broken; the facial covering shattered, a lens missing, and the organic circuitry exposed for all to see. And while it _was_ true that he could have easily been healed of such a thing within the teknopod itself, he would still _remember_ the damage that had been inflicted on him by the traitor Slade. He would _remember_ , and thus seeing his own armored face, whole and unmarked, would feel like a mockery to him.

That was why he had left before the cosmetic damage to his armor had been repaired.

Leaning against the large organic structures that held the teknopods, his armor gone and his right hand cupping the right side of his face, Gunnar breathed steadily as he again considered how, _precisely_ , he would revenge himself on the traitor twins and thus salve his wounded pride. It would not be an incidental challenge, but there were things that he had learned while he was being shaped into a proper servant of the glorious Radam empire. More specifically, something particularly interesting.

A thing that, if he could lay his hands on enough, would provide him with a superb advantage in the next battle; and, if he could arrange things right, might even grant him the final victory over the traitorous twins.

_ [My Lord Darkon?] _

_ [Yes?] _

_ [I was wondering if you would be willing to provide me with some material assistance?] _

00101001

They had finished breakfast without running into anyone they’d known very well, and so hadn’t ended up getting drawn into any conversation that neither of them had been in the mood for, but he really should have known better than to expect it to last. He and Saber just weren’t that lucky.

"Hey, boys," Ringo greeted cordially, as if he hadn’t just basically admitted to being fully willing – and even _ready_ – to kill them if the situation ever called for it.

Now, it wasn’t as if he was begrudging Ringo his commitment to his friends and to the Earth in general, since he wasn’t stupid enough not to realize how dangerous he and Saber would have been if they were ever made to side with the Radam, but knowing that you were speaking to your own potential assassin was bound to make any sane person uneasy. Still, there was no sense in antagonizing the man, even in spite of all the obvious pleasure that Ringo had taken in doing such a thing to _them_ back in the early days, when they were still trying to find their places among the Space Knights. Or rather, when they were trying _not_ to find them.

"Well, since it seems I’m a bit too late to sit down and have breakfast with you boys, how about we all head down to the gym and try to work off some of that extra weight you’ve both been putting on?" he suggested, gently poking Saber in the abdomen with the kind of teasing smile that Slade usually only associated with his younger twin.

_ [Am I crazy, or is Ringo actually trying to be nice?] _ Saber asked, sounding about as bewildered as Slade himself felt.

_ [It’s  _ your _kind of nice, even,]_ he said, still a bit off-balance; their talk from last night was still fresh in his mind.

"I don’t believe it," Ringo said, looking from him to Saber with an incredulous grin. "You’re actually doing the ‘twin’ thing," he laughed.

"What?" he asked, nearly at the same time as Saber did; that only made Ringo laugh harder, for some weird reason or other.

"Never mind; never mind," the blond said, obviously working to get himself back under control. "I guess it makes sense, what with you two actually _being_ twins and all. Anyway, seriously this time, do you guys want to head down to the gym with me?"

They didn’t have any really pressing engagements elsewhere, and they probably _would_ have headed down there eventually anyway, if only to keep their minds off of… all of the _other_ things they could have been thinking about. So, with a quick look at Saber to see what he thought of the idea – which made Ringo snicker again, for some unfathomable reason – he turned his attention back to Ringo.

"All right," he said, waiting until the man had regained most of his composure. "Lead the way."

"Right," Ringo said, looking amusedly from him to Saber and back again. "On it."

11010101

"So, Gunnar, you wish to return to active duty?"

"Yes, Lord Darkon," he said, kneeling before the great Warlord’s throne once again. He had explained his plan, and detailed what he would require to carry it out, and yet he was not entirely certain that his Lord would give him what he needed. It was absurd; the traitors were a threat to everything they were planning, and thus it was only sensible that every one of their resources be dedicated to the elimination of those worthless half-creatures, and yet he still felt uneasy.

"You have recovered from your wounds?"

"I have," he said; could it be _that_ which was making him uneasy? The thought that his Lord would be unwilling to allow him to return to his hunt for the traitors if he did not appear to be in perfect form?

"Are you sure?" he felt the ancient weight of the Warlord’s gaze settling fully on him. "I see your face is still disfigured."

He seethed momentarily at the reminder, and then shoved his anger aside; there would be ample time to revenge himself on the true authors of his disfigurement later, he would see to that. "I left it that way, to remind me of my defeat at the hands of Slade."

"Slade, and his traitorous twin brother," Darkon added, having evidently realized that where one went, the other was not likely to be far behind. "Are no longer your concern."

" _What_?" he breathed; it had to have been this, what he had been so uneasy about. Still, even if he had to argue with his Lord, then so be it; he would _not_ be denied his vengeance. "But sir, you must allow _me_ to terminate them. You _must_!"

"Ah, revenge," Lord Darkon said, seeming to savor the word. "So _that’s_ your motivation. Very well, I shall give you another chance to finish them. Do not fail me this time."

_ I will not be defeated so easily a second time, _ he vowed, as Darkon’s signature teleportation enveloped him. He knew where the most important elements of this plan that he had been forming were stored, and now all that remained was to gather them. And then to begin laying the foundations of a trap that would cripple the traitors permanently.

And, with any luck, would finally enable him to kill them.

00010010

Feeling a familiar sense of tired satisfaction, the kind that athletes and martial artists both shared, Slade smiled slightly. It was strange to think about, the fact that he had been with Ringo for two-and-a-half hours without feeling the urge to punch the other man in the face, but Ringo actually seemed to be making an effort to get along with them. Time would tell how long it would last, but he would make it a point to enjoy it.

The alarm, this time he recognized it as the ‘general-alert’ right away, went off and he chuckled. They were all lucky that the alarm hadn’t started blaring five minutes earlier, or else he would have been in the middle of a shower.

_ [Everyday’s the same thing, eh brother?] _ Saber’s sardonic amusement came through clearly over their link, and Slade found that he couldn’t help a little teasing of his own.

_ [At least I know  _ I’ll _be decent for the meeting,]_ he retorted. _[_ You _said that you were going to be taking a long, hot shower, and we both know what_ that _means._ ]

_ [As it just so happens, brother, I got out a couple minutes ago,] _ Saber pointed out, with a certain degree of smugness. _[My hair might still be a bit damp, but I’ll still be making the meeting.]_

_ [Yes, I’m sure you’ll look  _ very _dignified, standing in the comm. center with a damp towel wrapped around your head,]_ Slade chuckled.

[Remind me to smack you when we meet up in the hall.]

_ [Remind me to forget you asked me that,]  _ he shot back, grinning; he’d really missed this, and Saber was clearly making up for lost time, too.

_ [I hate you,] _ Saber said, so flatly it couldn’t be anything but a joke.

Slade grinned. _[Yes, and I love you, too, little brother.]_

Leaving his room at last, Slade eventually caught up to Saber in the halls. And, just as he’d been expecting, Saber tried to smack him on the back of the head. Dodging, Slade tried to flick Saber’s nose when he got close enough. His brother dodged likewise, and the two of them shared grins.

Running his fingers through his damp, disordered hair, as the two of them started making for the comm. center at a quick clip, Saber was clearly regaining his composure. Breathing out, Slade gathered his. They’d been having fun, but now wasn’t likely to be the time for fun; comm. center alerts usually only meant one thing: the Radam were moving again.

110100101

When the Wonder Twins made their way into the comm. center, looking about as stoic as ever, Ringo found himself envying their composure at the same time that the wondered if there was anything behind it. Still, now wasn’t really the time to think about what their superheroes might or might not really be thinking about.

"If anyone is receiving this, please help!" begged the man’s voice on the transmission, the one that one of the radio-operators had picked up. "Please rescue us! Trapped in Chem. Plant number six! Can’t hold out much longer! Spider-crabs are-!"

The transmission went to static suddenly, and Commander Jamison signaled for the nearest comm. tech to turn it off. Those words pretty much killed any lingering good mood in the air.

"This transmission was just picked up on an emergency band," the Commander said seriously, sweeping them all with his pinkish gaze. "That chemical plant is in the Space Ring."

"That means there are still survivors there," Star pointed out, sounding almost hopeful.

"Do you really think so?" Tina burst out.

"There are a lot of places to hide up there," he said, smiling. "It’s a big place, you know."

The twins couldn’t have checked _all_ of it, and humans were more clever than even some of their own kind often gave them credit for. Besides, it was another chance to spit in the eye of the Radam and all their Teknomen, stealing their victims right out from under them. Of course, blowing them into space dust was a good way to do that, too.

But then, _that_ was what the Wonder Twins were for.

"I’m sending you on a rescue mission," the Commander said; he would have been the first to suggest such a thing, if the Commander hadn’t beaten him to it. "We cannot allow any of our people to fall into the hands of the aliens."

"If the Spider-crabs didn’t find them, then how are we supposed to?" Star asked, while Slade and Saber were busy doing the twin thing again.

"Do whatever it takes," the Commander said. "But, those survivors must not be abandoned. I want the Blue Earth made ready for immediate take-off."

"Yes, sir!" all of them answered at once; even the Wonder Twins, which was kind of funny when you thought about it.

10100101

They all left the comm. center together, and she turned back to look at the twins. The both of them seemed to be off in their own little world, but every so often one of them would look up as if to check that they were still heading in the right direction. Ringo said that they were just ‘doing the twin thing’, and that she shouldn’t worry too much about it. She didn’t think even _he_ knew what he actually meant when he said that, so she opted to ignore him and keep periodically looking back to check on the twins.

They were all heading to the Blue Earth, there to make their way to the Space Ring so they would be able to rescue those poor, brave people who had escaped from the Radam only to be confronted by their vicious Spider-crabs.

Once they were all safely onboard the Blue Earth, Mac informed them that there would be a two-minute delay while he finished the repairs to the Blue Earth’s hull. Not wanting them to have any more problems than what the Radam would be all-too-willing to provide for them, Star sat back and waited. The twins seemed to be kind of edgy about something, but then they _were_ going into a probable battle with the Radam’s seemingly endless hordes of Spider-crabs, so that was only to be expected.

When they were given the green light to launch, the powerful rumble of the engines gave her a few moments of calm and comfort. _Just hold on out there, whoever you are; we’ll be there for you soon._ They soon cleared the last of the atmosphere, and she set about her navigational duties in earnest. It might have fallen to the twins to save them from any of the Radam’s creatures that might try to attack them, and to Ringo to fly the ship, but it was up to _her_ to guide the Blue Earth safely on its way.

"I wonder how many of our people were able to survive the attack," she mused, not entirely aware that she had been speaking aloud until Ringo responded.

"It’s strange that we didn’t hear an S.O.S. before this," Ringo said. "They’ve been up there for quite awhile."

"You’re right. It _is_ strange," she said, looking back at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the navcomp. "But the message implied that there were a lot of them."

"I doubt that," Slade said, his expression clearly dubious.

"Didn’t you hear that message?!" Ringo demanded, and Star herself wondered how Slade could be so callous. "There are people trapped up there in the Space Ring!"

"I suppose it’s a possibility, but it doesn’t seem very likely," Slade said, folding his arms behind his head. He looked relaxed, but there was an intensity in his eyes when he looked toward the Space Ring that she didn’t know quite how to interpret.

"What are you trying to say, Slade?" Ringo entreated. "That we’re wasting our time?"

"No," Slade said firmly. "There’s something that Saber and I still have to take care of."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Ringo asked, and she was about as curious as he was.

"Look, if we’re right, Ringo, and there _are_ no survivors, than who do you think sent that message?"

"Wait, you don’t think that the Radam are involved in this? Do you?" she implored, not liking the ominous tone of Slade’s words.

"Well, if you’re going to set a trap, what better to use than live bait?"

Saber’s contribution to their conversation didn’t make her feel any better about the situation they might be heading into; if anything, his words were more ominous than Slade’s. The rest of their journey to the Space Ring was made in a tense sort of silence, not something she was entirely fond of, but the voice that broke the silence didn’t improve the general mood at all.

"If anyone can hear me, please help! Please rescue us! Is there anyone out there?! Come in! Come-!"

"The transmission’s been cut off, Ringo!" she reported.

"Someone else must’ve gotten to him first," Ringo said grimly. A brief look passed between Saber and Slade; both of them looked wary, but resigned to heading inside to take a look. "Run a scan for the nearest docking port, Star."

She quickly did so. "Port Six," she reported. "Just two clicks to starboard."

"Blue Earth, Blue Earth," Tina said, appearing just after she had deactivated the navcomp screen. "We just lost the signal from the Space Ring. Are you still tracking?"

"It was cut off," she reported. "We’re just about to go in."

"Be careful," Tina advised.

"We will," she said, smiling at the younger Space Knight’s concern.

As Ringo guided the ship closer to their ultimate destination, Star began to notice something wrong. "Hold on, Ringo! The airlock isn’t responding."

"Yeah, well, I know the secret knock," he said; she only had a half a moment to wonder just what in the heck he thought he was doing, before Ringo fired the Blue Earth’s laser cannons, and dropped them down into the air lock.

That was bound to cause them some problems when they wanted to debark, but for now, she honestly couldn’t think of any other way that they would have been able to get inside the Space Ring to be able to help the people who had been trapped up there by the Radam and their monsters. She didn’t want to give into the pessimism that the twins had so obviously developed over their time fighting the Radam, and Ringo clearly wasn’t willing to, either.

01000101

As they all made their way to the airlock to get some EVA suits, so they wouldn’t have trouble breathing and not exploding from the pressure differences and stuff, Ringo took a moment to consider the Wonder Twins. They were being all grim and serious, as if they really believed that this was all some kind of Radam trick. Now, there _was_ such a thing as healthy skepticism, but this was verging into all-out paranoia.

He’d have to find a way to lighten the mood; paranoia wouldn’t do any of them any good.

As they trooped out the exit, with the small bit of weirdness that came from _feeling_ your own footsteps rather than _hearing_ them, Ringo saw Slade and Saber doing the twin thing again: a single look passed from one of them to the other, and the other ducked his head in something that was obviously meant to be shorthand for a nod.

"You two stay here," Slade said, his helmet still clutched under his arm; Saber was already putting his own helmet on and getting it fitted snugly. "Saber and I will go in there on our own."

"What’re you talking about, Slade?" he demanded; he’d almost expected this, but that _didn’t_ mean he was going to go along with it. "I’m going with you."

"Darkon could sent his crabs against us at any time, and my brother and I are the only ones here equipped to handle that," Slade said, not turning around to look at him; it was as if he was already halfway down the main corridor, confronting whatever it was that was making him and Saber so jumpy.

"Going in with only one person as backup doesn’t make any sense," he said; granted, the two of them were just about the most powerful fighting force that the world had ever seen, but there was no way he was letting on that he thought _that_.

"You can’t go out there with so little backup!" Star exclaimed.

_ Listen to the lady, kids; she’s got more sense than the three of us put together, _ he didn’t say; it was tempting, though.

"There’s nothing to worry about," Slade said, calmly enough that it was all Ringo could do not to roll his eyes at the kid; he really hated dealing with the self-sacrificing types. "Just stay here and be prepared to lift off."

"You know, I didn’t join the Space Knights to be a glorified chauffeur," he said, smirking slightly. "But, if you boys want to keep taking all the risks, be my guest."

"Thanks," Saber’s voice sounded kind of funny, coming from both his small comm. and from under his helmet where it was slightly muffled. "We’ll be sure to write you a nice letter of recommendation."

"But you boys listen: be sure to leave your comm. channels open, so we know what’s going on in there," Star said firmly.

"Don’t worry, we will," Slade said calmly.

"And Slade," he said, after shooting Saber an amused glance; that’d been a good one. "If you run into any evil Teknomen, tell them they’d better behave themselves, or your chauffeur will run them over."

The Wonder Twins disappeared from his sight without another word, off into the recesses of the Space Ring to find the survivors of the Radam’s constant offensives, but he thought he might have heard Saber chuckle.

"That wasn’t funny," Star snapped.

"Oh, so you’re a critic now?" he asked, giving her a mock-incredulous look.

111001010

As the two of them moved down the long, empty halls of the Space Ring, passing the evidence of the Radam’s constant attacks, Slade felt the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach deepening steadily.

_ [Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they  _ aren’t _out to get you.]_

_ [Sound advice, brother mine,] _ Saber responded, as the two of them continued on their way to their intended destination, sweeping the corridor with their helmet-lights as they went.

There were times when it was fine to just rely on their enhanced senses, but as unlikely as he found it, there still might be a chance that they would be picking up human survivors from Chem. Plant no. 6. And, if that was the case, they wanted the people to be able to see them when they came. Even though the thought of he and his brother wearing great, big, radiating beacons on their heads gave him the cold shakes whenever he thought too much about it.

They’d be lit up all nice and bright if Gunnar decided to pay them a visit, and they were bound to suffer for it.

"Slade," Star’s voice came in loud and clear over the comm., just the way it was intended to; it probably _hadn’t_ been intended to startle the hell out of him, but he was wound tightly enough that intent didn’t matter so much in that case. "What’s happening in there?"

"Slade’s a little busy freaking out right now," Saber said flippantly; Slade poked him in the shoulder for that. "But anyway, we’re right outside the Chem. Plant. No signs of life at all, so far."

"Copy that," she said. "Be careful, you two."

"Don’t worry," Saber said, patting him on the shoulder. "I’ll make sure my brother stays out of trouble."

_ [You suck,] _ he said, rolling his eyes as Star and even Ringo started laughing over the comm.

_ [And I love you, too, big brother,] _ Saber said, giving him a sidelong look; he just _knew_ that Saber was smirking at him behind that breather mask.

Opening the door in front of them manually, since this like pretty much all the other sections of the Space Ring was without power, Slade took a deep breath to steady himself. He could feel Saber straightening up beside him. This wasn’t the time for playing around; not anymore.

"Hello!" he shouted to the empty room; the shattered tanks on either side of them were eerily reminiscent of… things he’d rather not think about. "Is there anyone here? Call out if you can hear me!"

"Don’t worry!" Saber called, pitching his voice to carry through the room. "We’ve been sent from Earth to help you! We have a ship! If you’ll follow us, we can get you evacuated!"

There was no response to either of them; the uneasy feeling that had been settled in his stomach began to creep up the back of his spine. This didn’t feel right; _nothing_ about this felt right. It was like there was something he was being forced _not_ to see; something almost like the sense he always had of Saber, only…

He couldn’t sense it, not at all, he could only tell where it _wasn’t_.

"There’s no answer," he reported, after three minutes exactly; built-in chronometers were a wonderful thing. "I’m going to run an atmospheric check now." Looking at the mix of gasses, and their present volume, he raised his eyebrows slightly. "Breathable."

He and Saber both removed their helmets, and he took a deep breath of the air. It was cold, and a bit stale, but that was probably all he could expect, considering the circumstances. Looking around at the room with his unfiltered eyesight, Slade found he couldn’t quite suppress a shudder of distaste; _the ship, our ship_ \- clenching his jaw, he forced that thought back down into the recesses of his subconscious where it belonged.

_ [You holding up all right, brother?] _ he felt Saber’s right hand on his lower arm, squeezing gently; just the kind of anchor he needed.

_ [I will be,] _ he said, reaching over to rub the back of Saber’s hand. _[Just… memories.]_

_ [Yeah; I know.] _

They stayed like that for a few seconds, each taking comfort from the other in this strange-but-uncomfortably-familiar place, before they started moving forward again. Their clasped hands giving the both of them something to hold onto. Slade was glad for it, and he knew that Saber was, too.

"Is anyone in here? Call out if you can hear me!" he repeated. "We’re here to help you!"

010100010

Ah, here they were at last; so predictable, always playing the gallant heroes. It seemed all too appropriate that they had fallen in with humans who called themselves Knights. Letting loose a small tendril of thought, right into the link that all Teknomen shared with one another, he watched in amusement as Slade’s mouth fell open, and Saber slammed his feet into the floor in an effort to bring his forward momentum to a complete stop.

It was terribly amusing, the way their hands each tightened on the other’s, as if they were trying to lend strength to their feeble, incomplete forms through something as prosaic as physical contact; it was cute, and pathetic, and so utterly, utterly futile.

Moving forward again, now and then sending out spikes of his own awareness to skitter across their shared link, keeping the little half-creatures off-balance, and just generally entertaining himself, he continued on his course to the appointed stage. It would soon come time for him to reveal himself, and thus the trap that he had so perfectly constructed, but for the moment he would amuse himself by toying with his unknowing prey. Vengeance was a thing best savored, long and slow.

"Who’s there?" the little scarred traitor demanded, after he had given a particularly harsh shove to their mental link; he laughed at the expressions he would no doubt see on their faces, judging by the emotions he was sensing from them.

"Thanks for coming, Slade," he said, turning and grinning down at the little traitors from the control board he was standing atop. "And Saber, of course. It’s not as if you’d ever leave your precious little brother behind."

"Gunnar," the scarred traitor snarled.

"What? No pleasant hellos?" he mocked. "Yes, I’d imagine there wouldn’t be; you two probably thought that I was long dead, wasn’t that it?" he bared his teeth in something that could almost be mistaken for a grin. "Such a shame, isn’t it? That old friends should come to _this_."

"So, there _weren’t_ any survivors, were there?" the other traitor demanded, his blue eyes snapping with amusing, impotent fury.

"Oh, anything’s _possible_ , I suppose," he shrugged indifferently; what should he care for the affairs of insects? "But I wouldn’t count on it. Especially after I get rid of you two."

" _You_ were the one who sent that S.O.S., weren’t you?" the scarred traitor demanded.

"Why, naturally," he said; he’d even recorded it just for them and their little human pets, but he wasn’t about to start off on any irrelevant tangents. He had prolonged this farce for as long as he desired; it was time to end it. "After all, it _was_ the easiest way to get you two here, wasn’t it? But you won’t be here for long!"

Raising his teknocrystal, the key to his own, _complete_ transformation, Gunnar willed the metamorphosis to happen; the little traitors called out to him once, but he ignored them. Once his armor had fully enclosed him, and his wound was visible for all to see, he turned his attention back to the traitors. He would do them the honor of telling them why they were to die this day; not only for betraying their master and abandoning their proper place in the universe, such a thing might have been forgiven if they had just been intelligent enough to surrender themselves once it had become clear that they were not where they truly belonged, but after this… he would _not_ forgive them this insult.

"You see my face?" he demanded. "The disfigurement you left me with? _Now_ you shall pay for it!"

Raising his hand to the ceiling, where he had carefully placed cluster upon cluster of spectrum-disrupter crystals, setting the stage where he would see the traitors suffer and die for their betrayal, he felt nothing more than a slight, momentary tingle as the energies washed over him. And even this was more than either of the traitors would feel.

At least until the time came.

010010100

When Gunnar had made that stupid-looking, overly-dramatic gesture at the ceiling, Saber had almost expected that something would actually _happen_. Still, Gunnar seemed to be a little addle-brained from what he’d gone through after Slade had knocked him down for the count. Seriously, complaining about injuries that could only be seen in his armored form, and that could have been healed in a few hours by a teknopod?

What a moron. Sure, Fr- _he_ could be more than a bit vain sometimes, but that had been mostly a joke. Still, he sounded like he obviously meant it _now_ , so they would have to deal with him. Even if his reason for fighting them _was_ unbearably stupid.

"Tekno-power!" he and Slade shouted together, just like they always did.

Unfortunately, that was the _only_ thing that went the way it always did. The next few minutes – a subjective eternity – were filled with the kind of pain that Saber thought he had left behind when he’d escaped from that damned teknopod. Hearing Slade’s screams from just in front of him certainly didn’t make Saber feel any better about his situation. The pain; it was like being skinned with a cheese grater, and then submerged in some kind of acid solution.

His throat felt raw from screaming, by the time the pain subsided and he found himself lying prone on the floor of the Chem. Plant. His burning lungs demanded air, and Saber took in as much of it as his raw throat would allow.

"It’s no use," Gunnar all but cackled. "I’ve planted spectrum-disrupter crystals all around us. Which as you have both no doubt realized, render your crystals quite useless."

"What’ve you done?" Slade demanded; Saber spared a sympathetic thought for the rawness in his brother’s voice.

"I’ve beaten you!" Gunnar sounded entirely too gleeful about that. "I’ve finally beaten you! But it’s far from over, my little traitors; I’ll see you _both_ dead at my feet before this day is done!"

Saber thought for a moment that he could hear something crackling, like ice chipping or something, but the sight of Gunnar’s glowing arrow so very, _very_ close to where he and his brother were both lying almost helpless wiped those thoughts right out of his mind. Leaping up from the floor, just as Gunnar fired, Saber felt Slade grab hold of his arm and pull him out of the reach of the explosion.

After that, it was like one long, intermittent, horizontal rainstorm. Only the raindrops were replaced by Gunnar’s exploding ninja-needles, and if they caught one of those things anywhere, they were going to get worse than wet. A lot worse.

"Go ahead and run, traitors," Gunnar taunted. "You can’t run forever."

Another one of his arrows buzzed past their legs, and Slade yanked him out of its path and into a dark, confined space under the cover of the smoke and flying debris from the explosion. He didn’t know quite what Slade was thinking, but when Gunnar flew right past their hiding place without a word or a look back, Saber allowed himself to breathe more freely. They weren’t safe, not so long as Gunnar was still loose in the Space Ring with them, and not when they were still beneath so many of Gunnar’s disrupter-crystals, but they _were_ in less immediate danger than they had been.

_ [Saber, let me see your crystal,] _ Slade said suddenly, turning his attention away from the disrupter-crystals that hung above them like malevolent chandeliers.

_ [All right, brother, but what was it you wanted to-] _ Trailing off once he had actually had a chance to _look_ at the key to his own transformation, Saber saw the semi-long crack running up the center of it. _[Oh;_ that’s _not good.]_

_ [Saber,] _ Slade’s eyes darted from Saber’s own eyes to the teknocrystal in his hands. _[Do you think you could put it back?]_

_ [Maybe…] _ He concentrated, and the crystal in his hands vanished to wherever it was that their crystals stayed when they weren’t being held.

_ [Good. And,] _ Slade looked up at him, right into his eyes; mind-to-mind like this, it was almost all he needed. _Almost_. _[I really don’t want you trying that again,]_ he said in a rush. _[Not until I know it’s safe. I don’t want to hear you screaming like that again, little brother.]_

_ [And you think hearing  _ you _screaming was a picnic for me?]_ he asked, looking back into Slade’s green eyes with the same intensity that Slade was trying to use on _him_.

_ [It’s different for you,] _ Slade said. _[I_ can’t _watch you suffer like that, I’m not strong enough.]_

_ [What’re you talking about?] _

_ [I can’t risk losing you,] _ Slade said, his mental tone somehow quieter, or maybe it was just more subdued. When Slade laid his forehead on Saber’s shoulder, he was surprised by the gesture; neither of them had done _that_ kind of thing since they were kids. _[I’m not… strong enough.]_

_ [All right, brother,] _ he said, reaching out to wrap his arms around Slade, and gently stroking his brother’s hair. _[All right.]_

"Slade? Saber?" Star’s voice over the comm, the first voice he’d heard in some time that wasn’t either telepathic or belonging to someone that wanted to kill him, was a welcome relief. "Come in, please."

"Go ahead, Star," Slade said, sounding as calm as he ever did. It was something they’d both learned to do, and it was important that they _keep_ doing it; they’d never have any peace otherwise.

"Are you two all right? What’s going on in there?"

"We’re safe, for now," Slade reported, while Saber himself kept a lookout for Gunnar; speaking out loud like this, there was a better-than-average chance that the Radam Teknoman would be able to find them. "But Gunnar could find us at any moment."

He didn’t know what he would do if that happened, what he _could_ do without his armor to protect him, but he would at least do _something_.

"Has he injured either of you?" she asked.

"No," Slade reported, after a moment of hesitation that only Saber was equipped to understand; they might not have been injured _physically_ , but… "But he’s keeping us from transforming."

" _What_?" Ringo demanded. "How could he do _that_?"

"By using spectrum-disrupter crystals," Slade reported; Saber tensed as a shadow passed by their hiding place, but it turned out to be nothing more than his eyes playing tricks on him, so he relaxed. "They’re all over the space station; we’re going to head outside."

"No, don’t!" Star exclaimed.

"Negative," Ringo said, sounding like he was giving an order. "Both of you get back to the ship, pronto."

"We’ll be safe once we transform," Slade explained calmly. "But to do that, Saber and I have to get outside the hull, and away from all these crystals. That’s the only way either of us has a chance of taking out Gunnar."

_ [Slade-!]  _ he tried to warn his brother, but Gunnar grabbed him by the hair and dragged him out of their not-so-hidden-hiding place and threw him to the ground before he could get out another word.

" _Here_ you are," Gunnar said, his attention obviously focused on Slade.

Bracing his arms against the deck, Saber started to turn himself over, to try to do… whatever he could against a fully-armored Teknoman. But then, before he could even get to his knees, Gunnar kicked him over onto his back and pinned him there with his foot. A foot pressed against his _throat_ , no less; as he gagged, trying to breathe past the armored foot crushing his throat, Saber activated his comm.

Even if he couldn’t do anything meaningful against Gunnar, he could at least let Star and Ringo know what was going on between them.

"Put me down!" Slade demanded.

"Oh, you’re going down, all right!" Gunnar exclaimed. " _Both_ of you! For humiliating me! And for betraying Darkon!"

10100010

When he felt the comm. break in his hand, after Gunnar had thrown him against the far wall, Slade could only hope that Ringo and Star had the sense not to make any more transmissions. Saber’s commlink was the only one still intact; the only connection either of them had to the Blue Earth anymore, and to a way back to Earth itself. Shaking off the minor disorientation from his harsh stop, he opened his eyes to see Saber struggling in Gunnar’s grip, trying in vain to pry that armored hand off his neck.

What was worse, though, was the sight of Gunnar with the sharp point of his double-ended bow drawn forward, obviously preparing to drive it into Saber’s head.

Running as fast as he could, Slade body-slammed Gunnar from the side. He was quickly back-handed for his efforts, something he’d been expecting, but at least he’d made Gunnar let go. That was all he’d really had in mind; all he could really do at the moment.

000100101

He’d heard Saber struggling and gagging, and then a sudden grunt from Slade, followed closely by the sound of something soft being slammed into a metal wall. He’d also heard the Wonder Twins’ conversation with Gunnar; that guy was obviously off his nut, and just as obviously violently homicidal.

"Slade’s commlink signal just cut out," Star said, just after she’d switched off their end of the connection to Saber’s comm.; no sense in letting Gunnar know that they were still eavesdropping on his little party.

"I know," he muttered, though he was still more concerned about those "spectrum disrupter" crystals that Slade had mentioned in his report. "All right, let’s get going!"

"No!" Star shouted. "Not without them!"

"Didn’t you hear what Slade said, Star?" he asked; there’d obviously been some miscommunication between the two of them. "He said that he and Saber could fight, if they could just get outside the outer shell of the station. Get a fix on Saber’s comm." he said, activating the laser cannons and letting them charge up. "We’re going to use a few blasts from the laser cannons to help get them where they want to go. Firing thrusters," he reported; at least now they’d be able to do _something_ to help.

He could tell that Star hated this forced idleness almost as much as he did.

010100010

With his arm wrapped around Saber’s waist, pulling his brother along as he got his wind back after that near-strangulation he’d just been put through, Slade felt the heat of Gunnar’s exploding needles as they passed uncomfortably close to his back. Shifting his brother a bit, Slade put his own body between Saber and exploding projectiles behind them. Even in spite of the fact that he knew Saber wouldn’t be happy with him for doing it.

He was just in time too; one of the projectiles drove itself into his back just as he had gotten Saber out of harm’s way. Throwing his brother forward so he wouldn’t land on him, Slade fell prone to the floor.

_ [Slade, you self-sacrificing, pin-headed goon!] _

"Taking a break already, Slade?" Gunnar mocked.

_ [Saber, get to the door!] _ he shouted over their link. _[I’ll be right behind you.]_

_ [You’re damn right you will be,  _ older brother _,]_ Saber snapped back, turning and heading right back for him.

Gunnar kept up a barrage of deadly projectiles, and even fired a couple arrows; Saber dodged and ducked them, a look of fierce, implacable determination on his face. Slade could respect that, _he_ would have done just the same in another situation like this, but he still worried. Neither of them had their armor now; they were as vulnerable as any normal human who’d had the misfortune to get on the wrong side of a Radam Teknoman.

"It’s time to end this little farce."

He could hear Gunnar chuckling behind them, and when he looked back over his shoulder, he saw that the evil Teknoman was standing with one of his glowing, exploding arrows at the ready.

_ [Saber! Forward!  _ Now _!]_

Moving in synch with his brother, they managed to make it to and out the door in front of them, letting it close just before the arrow exploded against them. He and Saber held onto each other as they rode out the explosion, and he felt the boots of his insulated EVA suit warm slightly. He was just glad that his and Saber’s heads had been far enough away from the blast that their hair hadn’t caught fire.

Free now of the threat of Gunnar, something he doubted would be for very long but he was thankful for the reprieve all the same, he breathed a little easier.

_ [It doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to transform out  _ here _, either,]_ Saber groused.

He almost asked why that was, but then he looked up, and had to bite back some creative profanity: there were clusters of softly glowing disrupter-crystals all along the ceiling of the hallway they were in.

"Oh, _fuck_ me!"

Looking up at Saber’s sudden shout, Slade was tempted to do some swearing of his own: right in front of them was a Spider-crab. Just one, but with no way to transform, one was all Gunnar needed. Dodging out of the way of a sudden spray of venom, he and then Saber vaulted over the thing’s head. Fortunately for them, the hallway they were in was tight enough quarters that the Spider-crab couldn’t follow them.

_ Un _ fortunately, it wasn’t quite tight enough to stop the thing turning its head to spit at them as they passed; they _were_ quick enough to dodge it, but it was still more bad luck that he could have easily done without.

Their best chance of getting out of this crab-infested death-trap that Gunnar had made for them was to get to one of the air locks and from there to get outside. They both knew it, even without having to take the time to discus it. Which was a good thing, too, since time seemed to be in short supply right now; at least for them, which was a depressingly common situation these days.

"Slade? Saber? Do you read me?"

"You have _no_ idea how happy I am to hear a friendly voice, Star," Saber said, with genuine relief in his voice; it was something Slade noticed, but he kind of doubted anyone else would.

"I think I could hazard a guess," she said, with a soft chuckle. "What’s been going on? I haven’t heard Gunnar threatening you lately. Did you manage to lose him?"

"Yeah, but unfortunately we managed to find some Spider-crabs along the way," he heard Saber say, as he himself continued to watch their backs.

They were still moving as Saber spoke, of course, but there was always a chance that they would be spotted.

"Do you need any help?" Star asked, Slade smiled; it was good to have friends on the outside.

"Just the location of the nearest air lock," he heard Saber say calmly, even as he himself kept alert for any more Spider-crabs that might be trying to get the drop on them.

In this case, you could never be too careful when facing Spider-crabs; this was probably how normal people felt all the time. Before Star could say anything else, though, their infamously capricious luck turned against them once again. A pair of Spider-crabs burst into the corridor where they’d been standing just four minutes before, shrieking their eerie, mindless battlecries, and skittering on their pointed legs with no feet.

Without even a word to his brother, the both of them took off running.

"Sorry to cut you off like this, Star," Saber said, holding the comm. up to his face as they kept running. "But we’ve got company; talk to you later!"

"Sab-!" Star’s voice went to silence as Saber turned off his comm., and they kept running.

They always seemed to be running, lately.

One of the Spider-crabs started spitting at them right away, the sticky streams of venom coming thicker and faster than they had the last time. When Saber yelped suddenly, thankfully sounding more surprised than anything else, Slade turned to look back over his shoulder. Saber had been stuck to the wall by his right arm, and was trying to pull loose even as he watched.

Grabbing his younger brother by the shoulders, Slade helped him to brace his feet against the flooring underneath them, and they both yanked as hard as they could. Saber’s arm came loose with a sound almost like cloth tearing, and both of them looked at Saber’s right arm even as they scrambled to get out of the way of the pursuing Spider-crabs. Nothing had been torn; a good thing, that, since they were going to be leaving the relative safety of the Space Ring’s contained atmosphere, and Saber had been holding his helmet in his _left_ hand.

The helmet itself was still there, but there was still an expression of mild annoyance on his brother’s face.

"Well, so much for finding out what Star actually wanted," Saber muttered, as they continued on their way through the mazelike corridors of the Space Ring.

"What do you mean, Saber?"

"My comm.’s back there under all that goop," his brother said, rolling his eyes as they continued down the corridor at a fairly good clip. "I _was_ going to contact Star, try to find out what it was that she was going to tell us before those Spider-crabs decided to interrupt, but I guess _that’s_ right out."

"Luck," he groused, shaking his head in irritation.

" _Our_ luck, eh brother?" Saber asked with a chuckle.

Slade just rolled his eyes.

_ Finally _ they came in sight of one of the air locks, marked as it was by red letters that spelled out its designation, and it was with a profound sense of relief that he pulled Saber through the armored doors and heard them close behind them. Falling to the floor on his hands and knees, he could just hear his brother panting from the same exhaustion that he’d only now let catch up to _him_. They didn’t have much time to catch their breath, of course; there was still a Spider-crab on the other side of that door, and it was only a matter of time before it managed to batter its way through.

They could both hear it trying, even then.

"Here goes," he heard Saber say, and looked over to see his brother standing in front of the air lock’s control panel.

Putting on his helmet, since he didn’t want to be caught without it _when_ the air lock began to cycle open, he turned back to look at Saber. His brother had already put his own helmet back on, so there was no need for him to worry about telling him to, so he just walked over and patted his brother on the shoulder.

_ [Seems to be working, but it’s a little slow,] _ Saber said, obviously tense as he looked from the Spider-crab-assaulted doors to the controls for the air lock.

_ [Like you said before: our luck,] _ he muttered, turning to watch the doors as they began to distort and buckle and warp under the battering that Spider-crab was subjecting them to. _[I just hope it’s on our side this time, you know?]_

_ [You and me both.] _

There was nothing they could do now but wait; wait to see if the air lock would cycle itself open before the Spider-crab on the other side of the doors could batter them down. It wasn’t looking particularly good for them, but just as the marauding Spider-crab had managed to stick one of its pointed appendages through a gap it had wedged in the doors, the air lock cycled open and they were able to break out into open space at last. He’d never seen a more welcome sight than the Earth, hanging placidly "below" them.

_ [Remember, brother: I’ll go first,] _ he said, gripping his teknocrystal like a lifeline. _[You transform once I know it’s safe.]_

_ [I suppose there’s no possible way I can talk you out of doing this, right, brother?] _

_ [No; there isn’t,] _ he said, as he loosened his grip on Saber’s hand, and his brother obligingly let him go.

_ [Just needed to be reminded of that,] _ Saber groused, seeming to be glaring at nothing in particular. _[I’m going to be mad at you when we get back to the Command Center; fair warning.]_

_ [I’ll keep that in mind.] _ Not that it was going to change his mind, but it was nice to be prepared in any case. "Tekno-power!"

Pain. Deep physical agony. Overwhelming all other thoughts except the one: he’d kept his brother safe, and in the end that was all that really mattered.

When the worst of the agony ended and he stopped screaming, Slade found that Saber had maneuvered himself directly in front of him. His brother’s hands were pressed against the energy-cage that always surrounded him when he transformed, being held back only by the massive energies that were being poured into his body by the transformation that he was trying to complete. When the Blue Earth buzzed them, moving from one unknown point on the Space Ring to another for some reason that he couldn’t even begin to guess at, he found himself and Saber spinning slightly in the wake of their thruster exhaust.

Saber used his thrusters to keep pace, matching the movements that Slade had been forced to make. When a quizzical, vaguely nonplussed expression passed over his brother’s face, an expression that was directed at something that seemed to be happening behind him, Slade turned to look back over his shoulder. There were the remains of an explosion there, just starting to clear, and he even thought he could see Gunnar go flying from it.

There was also something missing; it took him a few moments to realize that it was the pain of the transformation trying to force itself that he no longer quite felt. It intensified briefly, leaving him screaming in its wake, but then it seemed to stabilize. He could feel a similar flare of energy from his brother, and he was about to demand just what in the hell Saber thought he was doing, when he realized that he didn’t hear Saber screaming.

Looking back at Saber once the last of the coruscating energies had cleared from his vision, he found his brother in full tekno-armor looking back at him.

_ [We did it,]  _ he said, relief washing over him like a calming wave; he didn’t feel quite up to his usual standards, but he supposed that he couldn’t really expect anything better. Circumstances being what they were, he supposed he should really be grateful that he didn’t fell any _worse_. He was still glad that he’d managed to spare Saber the worst of it, though.

No matter _how_ angry his brother was with him in the end.

_ [Let’s go deal with Gunnar,] _ Saber said, and Slade was glad for the distraction; he’d be glad for a little revenge, too.

_ [Yeah.] _

They landed on the Space Ring together, directly in front of Gunnar. He wanted to take that bastard apart one armored piece at a time, not so much for hurting _him_ , though he would have been lying if he said that wasn’t a part of it, but for forcing him to watch helplessly as Saber suffered in his trap. There _was_ going to be justice for that; he’d see to it himself.

_ [You’re dead meat, Gunnar!] _ he snarled.

_ [So, you actually managed to transform. That won’t save you,] _ Gunnar said, raising his bow.

A large group of Spider-crabs rose up behind him after that, so the gesture must have been some sort of signal to them.

_ [Saber, dual Tekno-bolt,] _ he said tersely, focusing on his link to his brother.

_ [Right.] _

As he began the charging process for his main weapon, he could almost feel Saber doing the same just beside him. When they let go, he had just a few moments to feel satisfaction as Gunnar’s Spider-crabs were wiped out of existence. Then he caught sight of the Blue Earth.

She was falling down the Earth’s gravity-well at a dangerous speed, beginning to trail friction flames as she hit the outermost edges of the planet’s atmosphere. There was no way that Ringo would be able to land safely at those speeds, and little enough chance that the Blue Earth herself would be able to survive reentry if he and Saber didn’t do something. A look between them was all it took to communicate the urgency of the situation, and in seconds they were blazing through space with their very own thrusters.

Leveling off behind the Blue Earth, he watched as Saber positioned himself in front of the ship and braced his hands against the front of the ship. Digging his own hands into the wing he had positioned himself behind, Slade fired his thrusters in concert with his brother. That Tekno-bolt had wiped out most of his energy, true, but he couldn’t ever remember feeling _this_ weak after firing one.

Something had to be wrong; he had to get back inside the ship before things got out of hand.

He was just about to call out to Saber, when he saw a corona of blue energy surround his brother and dart off in the direction of the secondary air lock. _Good, he knows, too_ , Slade just had time to think, before a powerful wave of dizziness washed over him and he was forced to give up his post at the Blue Earth’s wing. He could only hope that she and all her passengers would be able to survive.

Once he was inside the air lock, he focused all of his remaining power into maintaining his transformed state, even in spite of the fact that doing so made him feel like he was bleeding energy into the cosmos. The sight of Saber’s comatose form on the deck in the air lock both reassured and concerned him at the same time; Saber would get the sleep he so clearly needed, after their attack on Gunnar and all that they had been through before that, but he would have been lying if he said he couldn’t have used Saber’s help.

Still, Gunnar was probably weak enough that it would take much more to kill him; he could hope, at least.

The cockpit doors parted for him, and he just managed to squeeze his armored shoulders through them. He hadn’t given much thought to moving around inside the Blue Earth while he was transformed, but that wasn’t something he was going to let himself care about. All that was important now was tracking down Gunnar and _ending_ him, before he could think up any more of his horrible plans to spring on them.

"You should be able to regain control now," he said, hoping it was true.

"Slade, is something wrong?" Star asked, even as he was forced to lean on Ringo’s piloting controls in the wake of a sudden, powerful weariness.

"Yeah, pal," Ringo said, looking at him with concern plain on his face. "You’ve never come barging in _here_ in that suit before. You don’t look so hot, either," he continued, and Slade could see him peering closer.

"That’s not important," he said, hoping they wouldn’t notice the weakness he was starting to feel in earnest. "You have to take me back; Gunnar’s still out there."

"Are you _nuts_?" Ringo demanded.

"That’s crazy," Star added; clearly neither of them understood just how dangerous it was to have a Radam Teknoman still able to fight.

"Ringo, turn the ship around!" he pushed his face in close to the other man’s. "Now!"

It was crude, trying for the kind of raw intimidation that having a determined, fully-armored Teknoman so close to them would produce in a normal person. But if it worked, he wasn’t going to let himself regret it. Better intimidated and alive, than laying back and letting Gunnar hunt them down at his leisure.

"I can’t do that," Ringo said, looking away from him. "The reactors are burning up as it is. Hey!" Gripping the man’s large collar with his armored hands, Slade found that he could almost respect Ringo for standing up to him like this; _almost_ , but that didn’t make hunting down Gunnar even one bit less urgent. "What’s wrong with you?! You expect me to sacrifice the Blue Earth just so you can get _one_ guy? You’re falling apart as it is, Slade!"

That wasn’t important; _none_ of that was important, compared to making sure that Gunnar wouldn’t be able to come after them again. Why couldn’t they see that?! Gunnar would slaughter all of them if he was left to escape!

"My… crystal!" he shouted, as a wave of pain and disorientation, worse than the three he had felt previously, broke over him like a mirror being shattered against his skull. "It’s… damaged… can’t… hold… Aaaaagggghhhhh!"

He saw swirling colors; twisting lights; sparks that seemed to explode behind his eyes, and then he found himself kneeling on the floor, staring down at the pitiful remains of his shattered teknocrystal. Panting with exhaustion and terror both, he turned and ran back into the air lock as fast as his feet would carry him. He had to see; he had to _know_ that all he had gone through today hadn’t been for nothing in the end.

Falling to his knees beside the unconscious form of his brother, he breathed out as he saw the glitter of his brother’s teknocrystal. Gently turning over Saber’s hand, he sagged with relief as he saw the whole, unbroken form of his teknocrystal clutched in his younger brother’s grip. It was all right; he hadn’t failed _entirely_ … god, he was tired…

The air lock darkened, tilting at a crazy angle… and then…


	7. Teknobot

Seeing Slade go running out of the room like that, leaving the pitiful remains of what had clearly once been that magic crystal of his behind, Ringo couldn’t help but wish that they had managed to find out just what Gunnar had been planning to do sooner. It might have been enough to keep Slade from getting his crystal shattered like that, and it probably _would_ have kept the Wonder Twins away from Gunnar and his homicidal lunacy.

At least until the next time that that "Darkon" guy, who seemed to be in charge of the Radam’s invasion if he was interpreting Gunnar’s rambling right, sent him out to cause trouble.

Star was fidgeting in her seat, so he wasn’t really that surprised to see that – once she had their proper coordinates programmed into the navcomp – she quickly left her station to head back into the main ail lock. He might have been tempted to do the same, if he hadn’t known that she would report the twins’ condition back to him if there was anything out of the ordinary – at least for a certain value of _ordinary_ – going on, or that the Blue Earth needed him to guide her safely back to the Command Center, and that the twins were as safe as anyone ever could be in this world.

Everything would be all right.

The Command Center was fully in sight now, just up ahead, and Star came back into the cockpit with a look of relief plain on her face, so that meant that the Wonder Twins were doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances. So, all was right with the world, and they could call this one a win. Well, mostly a win, he mused, glancing back at the pitiful pile of shards on the deck.

They’d have to do something so Slade could keep transforming; there was no way that Saber would be able to hold back Darkon’s legions of Spider-crabs on his own, and no way in hell that Darkon _wouldn’t_ try to take advantage of Slade’s being out of commission.

All of that would have to wait until they actually got back _into_ the Command Center, of course, but that didn’t mean he had to stop thinking about things. Even if he couldn’t do anything to help Slade, which he knew he couldn’t since he knew next to nothing about how either of the twins managed those transformations of theirs, he _would_ do everything he could to help Saber while his brother was out of the fight. God knew the kid was going to need all the help he could get, since that Darkon guy was probably going to have Spider-crabs raining down on them non-stop once Gunnar reported in that his mission had been completed.

At least, near enough that neither of them were likely to care about the specifics.

Landing back in the hangar bay, he quickly ran through the power-down sequence for the Blue Earth, then got out of his chair and headed to the aft storage section. He figured that, after he emptied it of supplies and things, one of the emergency med-kits would be good for holding the shards of Slade’s magic crystal until he could get them to either the Commander, or Maggie and Mac. Any of those three would be able to do a heck of a lot more with those shards than he could even think of.

Emptying out the med-kit onto the shelf where it had been sitting, strapped neatly into its holder so it wouldn’t become a nuisance when they were in freefall or a projectile-hazard during the times they encountered turbulence – or Spider-crabs – during reentry, Ringo carried it back into the cockpit and knelt down next to the shards of Slade’s crystal. Carefully picking up the larger pieces, he set them carefully into the box, and then set about scooping up the shards that he could now see scattered around the spot where the broken crystal had landed. He managed to get all of the ones that he could see, but there might have been more that he was missing.

He didn’t intend to spend all of his day, what little there was of it left, staring at the deck in the Blue Earth’s cockpit, so he closed up the box he’d packed the shards in and left the ship. It was time to see what he could get done with these things; time to see what Maggie and Mac or the Commander would make of this.

0100100

Leaving the twins in the care of the medical staff, still wondering with some degree of embarrassment just why Slade had ended up naked when he had transformed back into a human when Saber hadn’t, Star headed back to her quarters. Seeing Slade, staring down helplessly as the shattered remains of his crystal fell to the Blue Earth’s deck, had made her heart go out to him. He must have felt so powerless, and he’d clearly been worried about the same kind of thing happening to his brother, given the way he’d run right into the air lock to check on Saber once he had gotten over his obvious shock at seeing his crystal break like that.

But in the end, Saber had clearly been safe, and Slade had looked so peaceful sleeping there next to his brother. The both of them really only seemed to look that way when they were asleep, since even when they were together they seemed to have some sort of shadow hanging over them. It was strange, but it was also clearly something that neither of the twins wanted to talk about, so she wasn’t going to pry.

Heading for her quarters, wanting to get some rest and to have a chance to get the events of this particularly eventful day all settle within her mind, Star wondered for a moment just how the Space Knights would be able to recover from this; true, when Saber had been laid up in the infirmary Slade had been forced to fight the forces of the Radam on his own, but that had only been once, and there had been a definite timetable concerning when Saber was going to be able to rejoin his brother in battle. This time, there wasn’t any such reassurance. Saber might be forced to fight alone for weeks, months, or even longer.

There was even the possibility, as much as she didn’t like to even consider it, that Slade would never be able to transform again. She didn’t think about that for long, forcing it out of her mind with the certainty that Mac and Maggie were either working on the problem already, or were at least being fully informed about it, and that with their combined abilities they would be able to solve Slade’s problem. She’d known those two the entire time that she had been part of the Space Knights, a time that seemed immeasurably longer now that the war against the Radam had begun in earnest.

It was a good thing that Slade and his brother had come falling out of the sky so soon after the Radam had started attacking, almost like some kind of a miracle; the two heroes falling out of the sky like shooting stars, just in the nick of time. Helping to save all of the people who had been put in harm’s way by the Radam and their merciless warriors.

It was a nice thought, that, almost like someone had seen the invasion coming, and had decided to give the Earth a fighting chance. It was a nice thought, that; that someone had been looking out for them. She wouldn’t say anything, though; other peoples’ potential interest notwithstanding, it didn’t seem like the twins would have appreciated the sentiment if they found out about it.

For whatever strange reason, neither of them seemed to think of themselves as the heroes they so clearly were.

It was just one of the many mysteries that she was beginning to realize surrounded the twins. They seemed to attract them, or at least to do nothing to dispel the ones that surrounded them. They had clearly been through some kind of a horrible experience, like she’d told Ringo all those weeks ago when they had both first met the twins, but now more than ever she wanted to find out what it was.

She wanted to help them, to support them in a battle that they had clearly not chosen to fight of their own free will; well they _had_ , but they obviously wouldn’t have gotten involved with the war if they had been given any kind of a choice about it. Still, that brought up the question of just what kind of thing would be able to force the twins, with all their power, to do something that they were so clearly ambivalent about. Whatever it was, though, Star knew that she didn’t want to have to deal with it.

11010001

Once he was completely certain that the once-human who had been named Conrad Carter would not attempt to resist the commands that he would be required to carry out in the service of the Radam Empire, Darkon turned his attention to the youngest of the humans that he had captured: the youngest of the family he had captured, and in fact the youngest of the humans overall. He found it odd that such a young human had even managed to survive the tekno-process at all, much less that he would prove to be as useful as he seemed to be. It was a fact, however, that the little one would not have the sheer, overwhelming power of one of the older Teknomen until he had been allowed to mature.

Still, young Samuel Carter would be quite suitable as a scout, or an assassin; tasks where his smaller size and more docile appearance would serve him well.

His elder sister Shara, one of the three surviving females out of the crew and the _only_ female member of the family to which his little traitors belonged, was still in the latter stages of analysis. These human females were quite different than the females of his own species, and would have to be handled with care. Their reproductive abilities would prove useful in future campaigns – just as those of his own peoples’ females had proven to be – and so it was important to ensure that they remained in good health.

For the moment, however, he could allow the automatic subroutines imbedded within the ship’s bio-computers to attend to the females. The youngest of the captive humans was the more pressing subject at the moment. He would have to be carefully shaped, if he was to be of any use.

101001010

He woke up to the blaring of the emergency-alert, only to find Ringo just starting to come into his room.

"Good," the blond said, sounding genuinely relieved. "You’re already up. We’re going to need to move quickly; it’s raining Spider-crabs out there, and your brother… well, let’s just say he’s not quite up to fighting-form at the moment."

"All right," he said, making a mental note to badger the specifics out of Slade later; his brother’s part of their link was quiet, a sure sign that Slade was still asleep. "Let’s get going, then."

Following Ringo out of his quarters at a brisk jog, he vaguely noticed that they were heading for hangar three rather than the comm. room; obviously they were skipping the Commander’s usual briefing in favor of simply heading out to deal with the Spider-crabs. Something he was admittedly in favor of, but he couldn’t help the feeling that this was a bad sign of things to come. Not stopping for a briefing meant that they weren’t just flying blind, it also meant that they didn’t have the luxury of time to spare.

That wasn’t good; it probably meant that something had gone more wrong than usual on their last mission, since he couldn’t think of any other reason why Darkon would choose _now_ to start swamping them with Spider-crabs.

Once they were all seated in the Blue Earth, with Star wordlessly inviting him to take his brother’s seat – something that he assured her would be only temporary, which she smiled at in a way he didn’t quite know how to interpret – he looked out the large cockpit windows at the rank upon rank of Spider-crabs descending in front of them. _I hope you’re doing all right back at the Command Center, brother,_ he thought to himself; Slade had to have been really wrung-out not to have contacted him for their becoming-usual early morning talk, so Saber wasn’t going to bother him.

Heading for the air lock, alone for the first time since his and Slade’s personal war had started, Saber tried not to think about what might have happened to Slade. He’d be able to find out once he dealt with the Spider-crabs, and distractions would only end up costing him in battle. Probably not his life, but it was still best not to take those kinds of chances.

"Tekno-power!"

00010010

Meeting with the leaders of the Allied Earth Military had never been something that he had enjoyed, but in this case it was a necessity. The loss of Slade’s ability to transform, while it had _not_ entirely crippled the Earth’s capability to defend itself, placed an unfair burden on Saber. Despite the fact that the young man himself would not likely be inclined to complain about the situation, likely seeing it as his responsibility to his brother to put himself forward, it would not be fair to that young man to ask him to take over sole responsibility for the Earth’s defense for a prolonged period of time.

"Commander, I hold _you_ responsible for the loss of one of the Earth’s only Teknomen," General Gault accused, slamming his hands down on the computer console he had been sitting behind. "This wouldn’t have happened if you’d have turned them over to me!"

He had expected this argument; Gault had never been one to tolerate a situation that wasn’t under his direct control, and the power that those two young men wielded had been bound to attract his attention at some point. It was better that it had happened after Slade and Saber had established themselves as a part of the Space Knights, even though he would have personally preferred that it had not happened at all. Still, he would always make it a point to deal with things as they were; for the sake of the Space Knights and that of the Earth itself, he could not afford to be distracted with musings about an ideal world.

"I do accept the responsibility, but may I remind you that I am answerable only to civilian authority. Not to you gentlemen of the military," he said calmly.

"Really?" one of the other Generals, a man whose name he didn’t quite recall at the moment, spoke out. "I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were-"

"Sit down," Gault cut in brusquely. "It’s not too late; give them to us, and I’m sure that we’ll be able to use the knowledge we obtain from the Teknoman Saber to salvage the Teknoman Slade."

"My crew is quite capable of salvaging Slade. The Space Knights have a tradition of solving our own problems. Whatever we begin we finish, gentlemen," he said; leaving unsaid the flash of revulsion he had felt at that suggestion. "Now, if you’ll excuse me."

He knew very well what would happen to either of those young men if he allowed the military in general or Gault in particular to get their hands on them; people in the midst of what looked like a hopeless situation were a great deal less likely to consider the morality of their actions, particularly when those actions seemed as if they would provide salvation to them and those under their protection. The fact that Gault was not particularly inclined to put any ethical constraints on the scientists that he would no doubt assign to studying Saber and exactly what mechanisms he used to accomplish his transformation meant that if Slade or Saber fell into his hands, through whatever kind of accident or misfortune would place them there, they would be treated like laboratory specimens rather than the human beings that they so clearly were. Those two brave, intelligent, resourceful young men deserved better than to be slowly picked apart by Gault and his cadre of scientists and lab technicians simply to obtain data that could be gathered in a more humane, albeit indirect, manner.

Aside from that, once they had – informally, yes, but sincerely nonetheless – declared themselves a part of the Space Knights, they had come under his protection; he would _not_ sacrifice any of his Space Knights to the military, no matter _what_ kind of potential benefits might be promised by doing so.

As he continued on his way out of the Allied Earth Military’s main command center in this sector, he turned his attention to another matter, one that was far more urgent at this point than dealing with Gault and his ambitions. When Ringo had delivered the shards of Slade’s crystal to him, he had immediately begun discussing ways that Slade’s ability to transform might be restored with Maggie and Mac. The idea that they had come up with, once it was completed, would not only provide Slade with his transformation capability once again, but it would also provide him and his brother with a viable combat partner.

Activating his comm. unit, he contacted his own personnel.

"Good morning, Commander."

"Good morning, Tina; how is work progressing on the Teknobot?" he asked, noting the slightly downcast expression on her face when he asked; not particularly good news, then.

"Well, sir, to be honest, Mac and Maggie have their hands full," she said. "It’s a pretty tall order."

"It is, indeed," he conceded. "Tell them to keep at it; we’re under the gun on this one."

His orders given, and with at least _some_ hope that Slade would be back in fighting-form soon, he continued on his way out of the Allied Earth Military’s command center.

100100101

He’d been up since the nightmares woke him, trying to sort through all of the data that the Radam had implanted in his head while they were trying to make him into one of their obedient slave-warriors. There _had_ to be something useful in all that data, something that he could use to restore the powers that Gunnar had taken from him. Saber couldn’t be everywhere at once, after all, and the longer his brother was forced to fight alone, the greater the chance that something would happen to him. He would never forgive himself if Saber ended up hurt – or worse – because of something he had or hadn’t done.

It had already happened once before, and Slade had promised himself that it would never happen again.

So he was going to go over _every scrap_ of information that had been forced into his mind by those stupid aliens, and then he would find a way to transform again. Star and the others could worry about providing moral and material support; _he_ was the only real partner that his brother could count on in battle. That was why he _had_ to get back into the fight, and as soon as was possible.

Some of this data, though… it just didn’t make sense! The rest of it seemed to be useless to him; some kind of logistics reports. So the Radam scouted the galaxy, looking for sentient beings with the same general bodily-configuration as humans; so Darkon was most likely one of the aliens that had been captured by the Radam on some of their previous raids, so he was most likely incapable of leaving the ship for whatever reason; _none_ of that was going to help him get his powers back! It was all as useless as he was right now!

Shoving the papers that he’d covered with handwritten notes to one side of the desk that he hadn’t used for anything prior to this, he buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t deal with this; Gunnar had crippled him, and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it. He really _was_ useless.

Prodding his link with Saber, not wanting to wake his brother if he was in the middle of a fight, he found that his brother was pretty much dead to the world. Apparently he’d just come _back_ from a fight; scrubbing his face with his hands, Slade gathered the papers he’d shoved aside and started going over them again. Even if he _was_ less than useless right now, Saber was alone out there, fighting what should have been _their_ fight. All alone, against whatever Darkon and Gunnar could throw at him.

He wasn’t going to let that stand, even if he _did_ feel like some pathetic cripple right now; Saber deserved better.

Glancing over a list of names that he’d written down, Slade found that he could easily picture the alien races that went along with them.

Nandorians, for instance: they were the same kind of bipedal, bilaterally-symmetrical aliens that the Radam favored as Teknomen; they looked more like kangaroos, though; they were generally more broad-shouldered than humans, with three thick fingers and an opposable thumb; their digits were all tipped with bony claws covered by a keratin sheath, they had to file the sheaths frequently to keep them from growing too long; they subsisted on a purely carnivorous diet; and they had three, thick toes that could grip slightly better than their hands, though they lacked most of the dexterity. The Radam used them as hunters, scouts, and trackers; their main senses were sight, hearing – a fact made plain by their six-inch ears, both equipped with seven muscles each for swiveling, lowering, and raising the ear itself – and smell; their sense of touch, while not quite as dramatic as the other three, was still better than any human’s, thanks to their coats of short, dense fur and their long whiskers; most of the whiskers were in what people would consider to be normal places, but there were a pair each behind the ears, and several in a straight line leading to the tip of their tails. Any one of them, with the exception of the very young or the very old and infirm, would be able to run down even the most highly-trained of human athletes, wrestle them to the ground, and bite them to death.

That was how they hunted prey back on their own planet, in fact.

He would have wondered why the Radam hadn’t had any of their Nandorian Teknomen in stasis aboard that ship, but he already knew the answer: each time a new planet was discovered by one of the Radam’s probe-ships, the first invasion would consist of the inhabitants of that planet. They were expected to be able to deal with any and all opposition that could be found on the target planet. He didn’t know if anything like what had happened to him and Saber had ever been repeated on one of the Radam’s subject-planets, but he found himself hoping so.

Having one or more Nandorians on their side could only help Earth’s chances.

Still, he knew that the chances of them making contact with any extraterrestrial Teknomen hinged on the Radam consolidating their power on this planet. Something he and Saber were both determined to _prevent_.

"Hey, Slade," Ringo said, startling him out of his musings. "What’s with all the kangaroo-man sketches? You planning an Anthro comic, or something?"

"Ringo. Star," he acknowledged, trying to settle his jangling nerves. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just came by to see how you were doing," Ringo said, grinning. "You look a lot better than you did yesterday, I have to say."

"Slade, why don’t you take a break and have something to eat?" Star asked, and he noticed then that she was holding a tray of food. "You still have to think about your health, you know."

"This is more important," he said firmly, turning back to his work and dismissing Star and Ringo from his thoughts; he still hadn’t found anything he could actually _use_ , just a bunch of trivia about the Radam that he could have just as well done without. "I have to find a way to transform again; Saber’s all alone out there."

"Hey, we know that better than anyone, pal," Ringo said, sounding conciliatory and yet still a bit put-out. "I just finished putting your exhausted brother to bed, myself. I know you’re both trying to do your parts to help stop this invasion, but you’ll be no good to anyone if you work yourself into exhaustion."

"I’m not any good to anyone _now,_ Ringo," he bit out. "I have to find a way to regain my powers; if I can’t transform into a Teknoman anymore, I’m useless."

"Look, you can’t just give up because things look a little grim," Ringo said, leaning over him with his right hand splayed out over the notes he’d been making. "That’s not the way we Space Knights do things."

"I’m not _giving up_ , Ringo," he said, setting down the pen he’d been using. "What do you think all these notes are for? I’m _trying_ to find a way to regain my powers." _It just seems so hopelessly confusing right now,_ he added silently. "I’m going to take a walk; try to clear my head."

"Wait, Slade," Star said, coming over to his side just as he stood up from his chair. "There’s something you should see, first."

"I’m not really interested in another tour, Star," he said.

"This isn’t anything like that," she said, already starting to pull him along by his right arm.

"What _is_ it like, then?" he asked; she was remarkably strong for her size, almost like Sa-someone he had known before. He could have broken free, but with how tightly her arms were wrapped around his right, he was worried about hurting her if he tried.

"There are people here who want to help you," she said, still pulling him along. "They’re all hard at work; it’s not all on you to find a way to help yourself. We Space Knights are a _team_."

He didn’t know just how to respond to that; he and Saber had always been on their own, ever since the beginning of their war with the Radam. There had been no one else that he could count on to help them, no one else who was actually on their side, for so long that he had actually come to expect to have to stand on his own. Saber would probably say he was being an idiot; maybe he needed that.

_ [Saber?] _

_ [Hey, brother. You sound a bit down; something wrong?] _

_ [Star and I are heading off somewhere; don’t ask me where, I’m not entirely sure yet, but… well, I think I’ve gotten a bit too used to only having you to back me up.] _

_ [That doesn’t sound like so much of a problem,] _ Saber said; Slade’s stomach growled, reminding him of something else that he hadn’t been thinking about. _[We’ve had each other for so long, just us against the world, that it’s kinda hard to get used to having other people around. People who_ don’t _want to kill us, I mean.]_

_ [Yeah, I guess,] _ he said, noticing that a railing at the end of the long hallway they were coming to was growing steadily clearer in his line of sight. _[I skipped two meals doing solo-research, though.]_

A pause, then: _[You didn’t mention that you were being a dumbass, Slade.]_

_ [I honestly didn’t think I had to,]  _ he said, as he began to see the large room, with the large assortment of heavy equipment and the one _very_ large thing that seemed to be the focus of all that work, clearly over the top of the railing and through the gaps in it. _[You’ve always seemed to know when I needed a good, verbal boot to the head.]_

_ [Circumstances notwithstanding, brother, I’m not actually psychic,] _ Saber said, sounding like he was probably rolling his eyes right about now.

_ [I’ll keep that in mind,] _ he said, as he and Star stopped at the railing, which he now saw bordered a wide catwalk, and looked down into a large machine shop. _[Thanks, Saber.]_

_ [Anytime, brother mine.] _

"Now take a look around you, Slade," Star said. "Do you have any idea what all these people are doing?" she asked kindly. "They’ve been working ‘round the clock with no sleep." He really hoped that was hyperbole; he’d feel like more of an idiot than he already did if _that_ were true. "You know why?"

"No. Why?" _Hey, what’s my crystal doing up there?_ It looked like it had been roughly pieced back together, too, inside the glass case where he had seen it resting.

"They’re trying to find a way to help you transform into a Teknoman again," she turned a wide, bright smile on him. "You see? You _don’t_ have to try to do everything all on your own, Slade. Let us help you."

All of this, just to help him; he really _had_ been an idiot. "I’m touched," he muttered; he didn’t know if any of this would work any better than what _he’d_ been trying, but with so many extra minds on the task, it was bound to produce better results. Or at least, that was what he was hoping.

Star started forward again, and he had to hurry to stay close to her. They were moving closer to what looked like a research room, and he could just see the back of Maggie’s head through one of the windows. Saber liked her, so that was a big point in her favor, and in a weird way she kind of reminded him of his brother; actually, she reminded him of _Cain_ , really.

That might have been why Saber liked her so much, in fact: as a reminder of a more innocent time.

She was waving to them, and he waved back as he heard her calling to them to stay where they were. She looked enthusiastic, which either meant she was close to some sort of a breakthrough, or she was just really happy to see them. He didn’t know just which, yet.

"Hi, Slade!" she said happily; it still _might_ have meant she’d made a breakthrough. "I’m glad you’re here. Oh, and you too, Star," she said, not sounding quite so enthusiastic.

Okay, maybe it _hadn’t_ been from a breakthrough; he’d have sighed if he hadn’t been confronted with her seemingly boundless enthusiasm.

"How’s it going, Maggie?" Star asked, smiling.

"Fine; fine. We’ve hit a few snags, here and there." Probably not the same ones that he’d run into during his own efforts, though, but he could understand the frustration.

"You’re dealing with one of the most complex aspects of Radam science, here," he said. "Are you guys sure you can handle it?"

He wasn’t going to mention the imprinting they’d done on him, not until he’d actually found something _useful_ buried under all that minutia and logistics; he didn’t want to offer them false hope. More than that… well, he didn’t want them to think that he had been brainwashed or something. It might have just been unreasoning paranoia on his part, but he didn’t want to take those kinds of chances.

It wasn’t just _his_ life at stake if he’d somehow misjudged these people.

"We’re not in the Stone Age you know, lad," Mac said, laughing in what Slade took to be a fond sort of exasperation. "This is what we do for a living."

"How close do you think you are to a breakthrough?" he asked, tucking his hands into his pockets so he wouldn’t be tempted to start fiddling with something; waiting had never really been his strong point.

"Well, we haven’t found the equation that will artificially induce the Teknoman transformation process, but we’re getting there. I’m sure of it." There was a wide grin on her face as she said that, and he tried to smile for her sake.

_ I wish I could be so sure, Maggie. _ "How many times have you tried?"

"Not as many as I’m going to, you can be sure of _that_ ," she said.

"You know, kid, you should really start trying to be more optimistic," Ringo said, coming up from behind him with a hand on his right shoulder.

"He’s right, lad," Mac added. "If there’s anyone capable of deciphering this alien gobbledygook, it’s Maggie. The Teknobot’s the only chance we’ve got."

"Hey," the woman in question said, smiling more brightly. "Why don’t you all come into the computer room, and I can wow you with my technical genius?"

"C’mon, kid," Ringo said, gently starting to push him forward. "If there’s one thing I’ve learned during all my time as a Space Knight, it’s that there’s nothing Maggie likes more than showing off in front of an audience."

Finding himself inside the computer room where Maggie had been working, he watched with a mix of emotions as Maggie began entering data into the terminal in front of her. He hoped she could do it, for all of their sakes.

"Hang on, everybody," Maggie said, her fingers practically flying over the computer’s keys. "Here we go again. A few pieces of the crystal were lost, so I made synthetic fragments to take their place," she continued, as the image on the computer screen shifted to a strange, blue figure on a shifting green-and-black background. "Now, here’s where we find out if they’ll hold." As she continued typing, the screen displayed a schematic that he wasn’t equipped to understand at this point with the word ‘change’ flashing over it in red. "So far, so good: the synthetics are holding. Now, here’s where we’ve been having some problems; the computer says that this formula should redirect the crystal’s polarity and start the transformation process." The schematic for what he could swear was some kind of a giant robot began to light up in red, spreading out to engulf a featureless, pale blue human figure that he knew was meant to represent him. "Okay, keep your fingers crossed, everyone, if the computer’s right, this _should_ work," the machine filled with red, the words ‘energy full; charge on’ appeared, and then an image of a wireframe of a human head, neck, and shoulders appeared, and was swiftly covered by the armor he’d worn back when he was a Primary Body, before being overlaid with his own, proper tekno-armor.

Unfortunately, that was as far as things went; the voice of the computer started proclaiming danger, in time with that same word flashing on the screen. The image of him in full armor shattered, dissolving back to the schematic, with a pair of large wireframes of his whole, undamaged crystal, and the word ‘error’ in white overlaying it all. The computer’s voice proclaiming "program error" just served to drive the point home all the further.

"Oh, not again! Every time, the same thing," Maggie exclaimed; she sighed. "Nothing works."

"Don’t blame yourself, Maggie," Mac advised. "Even when these numbers add up, they _don’t_ add up. It’s not your fault that these stupid aliens figured that two plus two equals five!"

He turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose in an effort to ward off the tension headache he could feel creeping up on him. No luck at all; not for him, not for her; he _hated_ being helpless.

"We _mustn’t_ get discouraged," Maggie said firmly, her hands on his shoulders. "I won’t give up; it _will_ work, Slade. I promise! And you’ll don your armor like some handsome knight of old, defending the honor of his lady love!"

Coughing into his fist to hide a laugh, Slade smiled slightly; that was definitely something Cain would have said, just to screw with him.

"Jeez, Maggie, show a little self-respect," Mac muttered; he found himself expecting to hear Maggie blowing a raspberry his way. Cain would have done it in a heartbeat.

"We’ll make it work," she said instead, sounding more serious.

"Mac? Maggie?" Commander Jamison’s voice came over the radio, drawing the attention of everyone in the room "Keep working. The rest of you report to Comm. One, stat."

There were no words exchanged; everyone already knew what they had to do, and they were all out of the machine shop and moving down the corridors at a brisk clip. Saber joined up with him on the way, nodding briefly to Star and Ringo before falling into step beside him. They soon arrived in the comm. center, with the Commander waiting for him they way he’d come to expect.

Tina, however, was actually the first to speak: "I’ve got reports of precision air-to-surface strikes all across the map," she reported. "I’m trying to determine if there’s a pattern." There was a hiss of static, and she gasped. "Sir, someone’s jamming my signal!"

"Forgive this interruption of your communications," said a familiar voice; one he’d come to hate with a passion. "But I have an ultimatum for the people of Earth."

"It’s coming from the Space Ring," Tina reported.

" _Gunnar_ ," he and Saber both snarled.

"As you must realize by now, you are helpless. Even _with_ your one remaining Teknoman to protect you, he can hardly be expected to be everywhere at once; much as he might want to be. And, even _he_ will eventually fall," Gunnar continued, sounding more than pleased at the prospect. "But, our warlord Darkon is merciful, and he offers you one last chance for survival: hand over to us the Teknomen known as Slade and Saber, and we will suspend our attack. They are traitors; renegades. Have them brought to the Space Ring by twelve-hundred hours, Earth time, or we will renew our attack on your primary population centers. These Teknomen are of little value to you now, even _if_ Saber is still capable of repelling our Spider-crabs. You must give them up. Then we will spare your cities."

"Maybe it’s just a bluff," Star speculated; Saber was probably giving her the Look, but he didn’t check.

"You don’t have to bluff when you’re the one holding all the cards," Ringo said. "This guy’s for real."

"Consider your response wisely," Gunnar advised; Slade wanted to reach through the screen and _strangle_ him, then stab him in the face with his own bow. "Two Teknomen, in exchange for the survival of your species. You have until twelve-hundred hours to decide."

He turned slightly, catching Saber’s eye as his brother turned his way; there was really only one way they could respond to that. When the rest of the Space Knights began to discus their plans, moving toward the front of the comm. room, he and Saber both moved to the back of the room, leaving once it was clear that they were all deeply absorbed in their discussion. He sighed as the doors hissed closed behind them.

"Well, it was nice while it lasted," Saber sighed.

"Yeah," he said, resisting the urge to look back over his shoulder; there was nothing to do but move forward, he’d accepted that a long time ago. "I was actually starting to like it here."

Without another word, he slung his right arm around Saber’s shoulders, and felt his brother do likewise; maybe things could have gone differently, but there was no point in thinking about that now.

101001000

_ They will come, there is no doubt of that, _ he mused, knowing that it was true; he’d offered the most sublime of baits this time. _All the powers of Heaven and Earth won’t stop them from coming, and when they do;_ I _will be waiting._ He was going to kill them, even if Saber _had_ managed to somehow retain the use of his tekno-powers, that would not be enough to save him. He would be hampered with trying to protect his precious older brother, who was now as weak and frail as any of the pathetic little insects crawling around on that little mudball they were so annoyingly determined to protect.

It would be a truly fortuitous advantage, that, and once the traitors arrived he was going to press it for all it was worth.

Still, the waiting _could_ be rather tedious; he comforted himself with the thought that he would soon have all of the excitement that he craved. And more, the satisfaction of finally watching the traitors die by his hands. Lord Darkon was truly generous, to give him this mission, even in spite of the fact that Saber had somehow managed to retain his powers after the perfect – or so he had once thought – trap that he had set for the traitor and his brother.

He would have to ask just how the little traitor had managed it; before he buried the full length of his bow in Saber’s armored chest and felt the life drain from his pitiful, incomplete form.

000100101

They’d had a last meal, since it was the last they were going to get for awhile and Saber needed all the energy he could get, and then cited a need to think about things when Star had asked them why they’d left the comm. room so suddenly after Gunnar had delivered his ultimatum. He hadn’t felt entirely good about lying to her, what with how nice she had been to him and Slade while they were settling in, but there were times that _want_ just didn’t enter into an equation. This was one of them.

Now, heading for the secondary launch bay of the Space Knights’ Command Center – they couldn’t very well expect to use the Blue Earth; even if she _had_ been in flying condition, they would have needed to tell Star and Ringo what they were planning, and then everything would have gone to hell – he and Slade were both careful to stay out of sight of any of the personnel they might have otherwise encountered on their way there. This was something they had to do on their own, whatever else happened.

The secondary launch bay was almost three times the size of the comm. room, but something almost immediately caught his eye; Slade’s too, it seemed.

"That could work," his brother said sardonically, even as he craned his neck to get a better look at the large, three-stage rocket that they had just seen.

"Well, they _do_ say that old ways are sometimes the best," he said. "I’ll get this thing prepped for launch. Why don’t you try to see if you can find us some EVA suits," he said over his shoulder, as he turned and went in search of a way to power up this part of the launch bay.

And hopefully _only_ this part; they didn’t need the Space Knights in general or Ringo and Star in particular to be getting all up on them for this.

111010100

He knew that there was no real way of him being able to convince Saber to stay back at the Command Center while he went off to face Gunnar alone. Even overlooking the fact that Gunnar’s ultimatum had called for both of them, Saber would stay with him through anything; he couldn’t help but know that, now. Still, the thought of his brother – his _younger_ brother, even if only by thirty minutes – going off to face Gunnar gave him the cold shakes whenever he thought about it for too long.

Anyone could see that _he_ wouldn’t be any use to anyone when it inevitably came down to a fight.

_ [Saber, you’re probably going to call me an idiot for this, but is there  _ any _way that I could convince you to stay behind and let me handle this?]_ he asked, climbing up onto the gantry so he could get a look inside the ship they’d be flying.

_ [Slade?] _

_ [What?] _ he asked, climbing inside the small, cramped space that he – and _only_ he, if he got his way – would be traveling up to the Space Ring in.

_ [You’re an idiot.] _

Sighing, he climbed into the ship; Saber would go his own way, like he always did, but that wouldn’t stop him from at least _trying_ to protect his younger brother. The interior of the ship was as small as he had been expecting from what he’d learned about the things, and there was only the one chair to sit in, but there _were_ two EVA suits stored inside. He was starting to wonder why, when he caught sight of the second, smaller, more rudimentary seat off to the left of the chair, placed forward of the computer.

There was a wrist-loop on the right of the seat, and a pair of handles that were obviously for bracing someone during acceleration.

_ [There’s one normal chair, and an acceleration seat,] _ he reported, taking stock of the ship again. _[Whoever pilots is going to be in the chair.]_

_ [Why don’t you take care of that? I’ve got my hands full with the computer down here. Besides, the quicker we get prepped for launch, the less time there’ll be for the Space Knights to try stopping us.] _

_ [Good point,] _ he conceded, climbing fully into the body of the shuttle and heading for the EVA suit at the back. _[Are you almost finished?]_

_ [Just finished a second ago; I’ll be right with you,] _ Saber said, and Slade smiled.

_ [Thanks, brother.] _

101010001

When she had come to Slade’s room, intending to tell him about the decision that Commander Jamison had come to after due consideration of Gunnar’s message, she had been surprised to find it empty. Then, she had realized that Slade would most likely be talking things over with Saber, since that was generally what he did when there was something going on that affected the two of them. So, letting Slade’s door hiss closed, she started heading for Saber’s room.

The general-alert sounded not soon after that, though, leaving her to wonder just what was going on.

The twins would have heard it, though, so that meant that she would be able to tell them both about the consensus when they came into the comm. room for this new briefing. Turning away from the corridor that would have lead her to Saber’s room, Star made her way back to the comm. room. She wondered what the Radam could be up to now; whatever it turned out to be, she, Ringo, and Saber were going to make sure that their horrible plans weren’t going to succeed.

When she arrived at the comm. room, however, she immediately noticed that three people were missing. Ringo, Slade, and Saber were nowhere to be found, and the Commander was standing over the base-wide radio with an expression that almost looked like stern disappointment on his face.

"Repeat what you just said," the Commander ordered; there was no mistaking his orders when he gave them.

"Saber and I are going to go up to the Space Ring; Gunnar specifically requested us, so it’s what we have to do."

" _What_?" she demanded, hurrying over to the console. "You can’t be serious!"

"Hey, Star," she heard Saber say. "Thanks for taking us in like this. Sorry it couldn’t have lasted longer. I hope you know how grateful we are, even if Slade _is_ too much of a lunkhead to say it."

"Hey, what’s up?" She turned to look to the doors, finding that Ringo had just come in, looking disheveled enough that she suspected that he had run the entire way from hangar three to the comm. room. "What now?"

"Slade won’t listen to reason," Tina reported, before she could think of anything to say. "He insists that he and Saber are going to fly out to the Space Ring on their own."

"And how are they going to do that? The Blue Earth’s nowhere _near_ ready to fly," he said, coming over to stand at the radio console with the five of them.

"They don’t need the Blue Earth," Tina said, turning back to the communication console.

"What’re you talking about?" Ringo asked. "There’s another kind of ship here in the Command Center? That’s news to me."

"They’ve found an old, decommissioned booster-rocket that’s been in mothballs for years," Mac said, and she could sympathize with the sadness in his tone. "It’s nothing more than a flying death-trap."

"This is a direct order from your Commander, Slade: kill your engines, and abort your launch-sequence at once."

"You heard him, Slade!" she said; he was so infuriating sometimes.

"Will you stop trying to prove you’re a superhero, Slade? You’re not a Teknoman anymore!"

"I know that better than anyone, Ringo," Slade said firmly. "That’s why I’m going."

"And you’re just going to go along with this, Saber?" Ringo seemed like he had a lot to say, and neither she nor the Commander had been able to make the twins see sense. Maybe _this_ would work. "You guys can’t possibly believe that the Radam are going to stop their attacks."

"Well, we already know they _won’t_ stop if we don’t show up by the deadline," Saber said, leaning forward to get closer to Slade so that he could be in range of the comm. screen in the rocket. "So, I think it’s at least worth checking out."

"So what’s the point? You two head up there, Slade gets his plug pulled, and _you_ die fighting Gunnar. Is that pretty much it? Or have I missed something?"

"One broken-down ex-Teknoman and his slightly-cracked counterpart, in exchange for billions of lives," Slade said, as Saber climbed back into the seat that she could just glimpse at the edge of the viewing screen’s range. "It sounds like a pretty good deal."

"You two can’t _honestly_ be stupid enough to believe that they’re going to stop the attacks after you two show up."

11010100

Cutting Ringo off, just as he’d started to say something else, Slade turned his attention to the launch-sequence. It was kind of funny, he reflected for a moment, that he had almost been making those same arguments himself with Saber; weird how you could be on one side of an argument with one person, and on the direct opposite side of that same argument with another person. He supposed he knew how Saber felt, now.

"Let’s see; all systems go," he muttered to himself, flipping the proper switches and pressing the indicated buttons. "Re-entry doors open. All right. Let’s see what this jalopy can do."

_ [You still have it, right?] _ he heard Saber ask; the comm. was still on, so he was glad for their link.

_ [Yeah; I’ve got it,] _ he said, reaching up to touch the concealed bomb; his last-ditch trump card.

_ [Can I just go on record as saying I hate this plan?] _

_ [I know; but it’s not like we have many other options. I’m  _ not _going to let you die out there. Once I take out Gunnar, I want you to-]_

_ [Go back to the Space Knights, and do whatever I can to stop the invasion. I know, brother; I know.] _

_ [Good,] _ he said; at least Saber had a place to come back to.

_ [You’ll just have to forgive me if the thought of my own brother committing suicide doesn’t sit well with me,]  _ Saber said snappishly.

_ [Well, I really can’t say I’m entirely thrilled about the idea, either,]  _ he said, sighing. _[Still, it was the best I could think up on such short notice.]_

"So long, guys," this he directed toward the Space Knights, offering them a brief salute. "It was fun while it lasted."

Catching a glimpse of Saber, passing his teknocrystal from hand to hand in an obvious effort to relieve his tension, Slade reached forward to clasp his brother’s right hand. The crystal itself disappeared as Saber put it away, and his brother squeezed as tightly as he dared. With his free hand, he grasped the throttle and pulled it all the way back; this would have to be quick. He not only had to break the hold of Earth’s gravity, he had to do it before anyone could try to stop them.

The rumble of the engines behind him, reverberating through the entire ship and causing his teeth to rattle, prompted him to sigh and Saber to grip his hand all the tighter before slowly, reluctantly letting go. The atmosphere thinned and disappeared around them, as the Earth itself fell away beneath them. He thought he might have had some more profound thoughts, this being his last day alive and all, but all he felt was the strained anticipation of an unpleasant job than needed doing.

It was weird, but he could have easily compared the feeling to the one he had when it was his turn to do dishes, or take out the trash… or even having to clean cat barf out of the carpet; funny, when you thought about it right.

"Time to get rid of the excess baggage. One down, one to go," he muttered, hitting the command-sequence that would release the third- and second-stages of the rocket, now that they were no longer needed.

"Well, here we go, brother," Saber said solemnly, turning so that he could look Slade square in the eyes.

"Yeah; here we go." He reached forward to clasp Saber’s hand again, squeezing tightly.

They were in space proper by this time, and the screen on the right side of the ship was showing him an image of what had once been home. He’d miss it, never going back and all, but this was for his brother’s sake. The space in front of them was quickly filling with Spider-crabs, and the tension in the cabin quickly ratcheted up.

"Great, more trouble," Saber bit out, his teknocrystal clenched in his left hand in the time it took Slade to blink.

"Yeah." But, just as he got the word out, the huge group of Spider-crabs in front of him began to… "Wait, they’re not attacking; they’re letting us pass."

"Why _don’t_ I feel any better about this?" Slade laughed; it was a rhetorical question and they both knew it, but _he_ would have said something like that if Saber hadn’t.

The screens all around the seat were all showing Spider-crabs, unnervingly docile ones; Spider-crabs that moved out of the way of their rocket as it coasted past them with the aid of short bursts from the maneuvering thrusters. The Space Ring was just up ahead of them, now, and he almost reached for Saber’s hand again; but he needed to keep this ship flying, at least long enough to get to Gunnar, so he focused on the controls.

Saber would understand.

When he didn’t catch sight of Gunnar through any of the screens, he paused. Their luck could _never_ be that good. It wasn’t, of course, and he soon spotted Gunnar standing on the Space Ring itself.

"Greetings, my friends," Gunnar said jovially, tapping their rocket’s comm. in the same way _he’d_ always done with the Blue Earth. "I knew I could depend on you two; your audacity has always exceeded your intelligence."

"Yeah, yeah," he shot back. "Sticks and stones."

"I have more than _that_."

He could see Gunnar launching himself forward, and even the streak of red-tinted light from his thrusters as they propelled the evil Teknoman forward relentlessly.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he heard over the comm., just before Gunnar’s bow perforated the body of the rocket.

He and Saber both leaped free of their seats, darting out of the new hole using their thrusters, and Saber gave him a last, reassuring glance before he pulled out his teknocrystal and transformed. Saber was at his side in a heartbeat, then; his brother’s right arm around his waist as he flew them both to the Space Ring just ahead of the quickly-expanding hail of debris that was all that remained of the rocket they had both come here in.

When they landed on the Space Ring, Saber raised his lance and used it to slash apart or bat away the debris that rained down around them. Breathing more easily for his brother’s presence, Slade gripped Saber’s wrist opposite the hand he held his lancer in, and pointed to a more open part of the Space Ring.

_ [Right, brother,] _ Saber said, still sounding annoyed. _[We have to make sure the stage is all set and ready; wouldn’t want the performance to go badly.]_

Sighing, he wrapped his arms around Saber’s left and let his brother drop him off at the lower, more level part of the Space Ring. Letting go as Saber set him down, he looked up to see his brother jetting off to confront Gunnar. Touching the concealed bomb on the front of his EVA suit, Slade sighed.

_ Goodbye, little brother. I’ll miss you. _

001001001

He was going to kill him, the arrow-happy little bastard; old friend or not, _no one_ threatened his brother and lived to tell about it. And, if he _did_ manage to kill Gunnar, that meant that Slade wouldn’t have to waste his own life in an idiotic attempt to take out the evil Teknoman with a kamikaze attack. All the more reason for him to end Gunnar’s miserable, brainwashed little life.

As the evil Teknoman in question fired yet another of his exploding arrows past his head, Saber gave his thrusters more juice and rammed him head-on.

_ [Well,  _ you’re _certainly fiercer than usual today,]_ Gunnar said, sounding amused; Saber snarled at him. Bastard. _[I wonder if it might have something to do with that pathetic lump you just dropped off? Hmm?]_

He didn’t answer; Gunnar was trying to provoke him. It was a standard tactic in any fight you were serious about winning: get your enemy angry enough, and you would have a _much_ easier time dealing with them. He’d done that often enough, and he wasn’t about to let the same tactic be turned back on him.

There were more important things at stake here than pride.

Lashing out with his energy-ribbon, he shifted out of the way of Gunnar’s retaliatory bow-slash. For a moment, he contemplated using the secondary ability of his lancer, the one that would turn it into an oversized, returning boomerang. Then, deciding that it wasn’t worth the risk of disarming himself even for so short a time, he raised his lancer and drove forward again.

He had to finish this quickly, for both his sake, and for Slade’s.

00101010

The repairs to the Blue Earth had been completed, and the newest of Maggie’s little projects had been loaded into the cargo bay. The cargo bay which had the capability to air- or space-drop its contents when those kinds of things became necessary. He just hoped the Wonder Twins hadn’t managed to get themselves killed yet; he had a lot of yelling that he wanted to do at them, and he wasn’t particularly in the mood to wait.

Finally, Star reported that they had a launch-window, and they were off.

The comm. screen came on once they were in space proper, and the very people that he’d been expecting showed up on it:

"Be careful. Mac and I have put our hearts and souls into that Teknobot, so non of your reckless flying, Ringo. You cowboy."

"On the other hand, the clock’s ticking, so no dawdling, lad," Mac said, his demeanor more serious.

"Go slow; go fast, wilya make up your minds?" he groused good-naturedly.

"We’re approaching the Ring now," Star reported.

Good; the sooner they got there, the sooner he could get the Wonder Twins back to the base, and the sooner he could give them a good, long tongue-lashing for being so unutterably, stupidly self-sacrificing as to walk blithely into an obvious trap. He was already marshalling his arguments, so the sooner they got out to those boys, the better as far as he was concerned.

10101000

As Saber and Gunnar darted around each other, Saber obviously making a game attempt to kill Gunnar so that he himself wouldn’t end up having to when the time came, Slade was touched by his brother’s determination. He was also making sure to keep an eye on his younger brother’s time-limit, since he knew that there would be no possible way for him to survive a fight with two Radam-aligned Teknomen. He didn’t particularly like the thought of killing his younger brother, either.

_ [Saber, try to draw him back toward me,] _ he said. _[You’ve used up twenty minutes already; don’t argue with me.]_

_ [ _ Fine _.]_

The twin flares of Saber’s blue and Gunnar’s red thrusters became more clearly visible as Saber forced Gunnar back into his line of sight.

_ [Well now,] _ he heard over his link; Gunnar. _[Isn’t_ this _interesting. You seem to have forgotten just where we were going during that little skirmish of ours, my dear Saber. How very unfortunate for you.]_

_ Yeah, that’s right, _ he thought, reinforcing the mental walls that he had built. _Come right over here to me, you spaceborne sadist._

A quick burst from the thrusters built into his EVA suit was enough to get him out of the path of the arrow that Gunnar fired at him, but he had to rely on Saber to smack the larger chunks of debris out of the way.

_ [For the record, Slade, I  _ really hate _this plan of yours.]_

_ [I know, brother,] _ he touched the bomb nestled into his EVA suit a last time. _[I know.]_

00100101

_ Spider-crabs, always Spider-crabs, _ Ringo groused, in response to Star’s shout of warning. "Yeah, I see ‘em. They sent these clowns to make sure we don’t crash their party. Well," he said, engaging the targeting system for the Blue Earth’s laser cannons. "I never met a bouncer I couldn’t lick." Firing into the mass of Spider-crabs, he smiled as they began to explode. "Oh yeah! Outta the way, boys, we’re comin’ through!"

Blasting his way through the ranks of mutant space crabs, Ringo began to scan the area for any sign of the Wonder Twins. They’d be out there somewhere, he knew, but Saber would probably be easier to spot. Him still being able to transform, and all.

When he saw the flashes of light, one bright blue and one the kind of bright red he’d learned to associate with the Radam, he smiled slightly. At least he’d managed to find one of those idiots before he’d gone and gotten himself in too deep to be pulled out.

001010011

_ [What are you running from, little traitor?] _ he heard Gunnar taunting him, as he dodged out of the way of another exploding arrow. _[Aren’t you the one who said you would_ end _me, no matter the cost?]_ he laughed. _[You’re not going to detonate that petty little bomb of yours; not so long as your simple mind tells you you still have a_ chance _of escaping with your life.]_

No, he wasn’t going to detonate the bomb for as long as he could sense that Saber was still in the blast-radius. _[Saber! You have to get inside the Space Ring! Contact the Blue Earth from there, and get back to the Command Center.]_

_ [Slade-] _

_ [Don’t argue with me!] _ he shouted, just as a hail of broken piping and assorted Space Ring debris started raining down on him. _[You’ve only got six minutes before you completely lose control; I don’t want to end up having to kill you, too.]_

_ [I guess you have a point,] _ Saber conceded, though he clearly didn’t like admitting that. _[Good luck, brother.]_

Just before Saber jetted off, though, a pair of shots from something that could only be the Blue Earth’s laser cannons slammed into Gunnar, driving the evil Teknoman off and giving them some much-needed breathing room. He was pleased to know that the ship was out there, more for Saber’s sake than his own, and he smiled wistfully.

_ [I guess I don’t have to worry about contacting anyone,] _ Saber mused, sounding like he wasn’t quite sure what to feel in this situation.

_ [Yeah. Go on now, Saber; I’ll take care of things here,] _ he said looking back over his shoulder; Saber was staring up at the Blue Earth.

Then, without another word, and with only a single look back at him, Saber flew off to join them.

100100111

He could see Saber getting closer, and he smirked slightly. _Get a good rest there, pal. I want you nice and lucid when I start tearing strips off your hide._

"Secondary air lock is open, Saber," Star said. "Welcome back."

"Yeah," Saber said, sounding like he’d been put through a hand-crank wringer. "Thanks."

The monitor camera in the air lock caught Saber flying inside, and then being enveloped in that weird glow of his before he had even managed to land. The toes of his left foot were just nudging the floor, in fact, while his right was still about six inches from the deck. His armor disappeared into that weird light, and he fell unconscious to the deck.

It didn’t look like he was injured, though, so he’d let the kid get his sleep.

"Blue Earth to Slade: we’ve got a Teknobot up here with your name on it, pal," he said, after having located the kid’s comm. frequency.

"What?"

"You heard me," he said, grinning. "You ready to take it for a test-flight?"

"I’m ready," Slade said, actually sounding genuinely enthused about the situation.

11010100

As he jetted into the Blue Earth’s secondary air lock, Slade could hear Gunnar’s annoyed shouting through their link. Walling off his own mind, the same way he always did when he wanted to have some privacy from Saber, he made his way into the ship. He didn’t have to ask where this "Teknobot" of theirs was, since the large, gleaming form rising up from the hold in front of him was obviously what Ringo had been talking about.

It looked like the thing he’d first seen in the machine shop, back in the Command Center all those hours ago.

"All right," he said, as the floor locked back into place.

"This baby here’s voice-activated, so you’ll have to make your commands loud and clear," Ringo advised him, his voice coming from a comm. screen on his left-hand side. "Got it?"

"Well, it definitely _looks_ impressive," he said. "Hey, Ringo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know where Saber is?" he asked, pretty sure that his brother had been taken care of, but wanting to be completely sure for his own piece of mind.

"Star hauled him out of the air lock before we picked you up," Ringo said. "He’s strapped into his seat, getting a good nap as we speak."

"Good," he said, closing his eyes briefly as a wave of relief washed over him. "And Ringo? Thanks. Thanks a lot." He caught a brief glimpse of utter surprise on Ringo’s face, before he turned his own attention to this Teknobot that he was likely to be working with from now on. "Teknobot, power on!"

"Affirmative."

He was mildly surprised that the Teknobot had been given such a deep, powerful voice, but since that wasn’t really important right now, he put it out of his mind. "Open interlock-chamber!"

The confirmation was repeated, and after he saw a flash of light from his crystal, a pair of crane-arms clamped down on the body of the Teknobot, turning it around halfway. The back of the robot opened up, revealing a chamber just his size, filled with blinking, coruscating light. _Here goes everything,_ he mused, running to throw himself inside.

He felt the familiar, welcome energies of his transformation filling him, and he closed his eyes in mingled excitement and resolve. It was good to feel complete again, but this was also a reminder of the promise that he and Saber had made to each other so long ago: they would always be there for the other, and when one of them couldn’t keep going, the other would support them. They would keep moving forward; there was nothing behind them but pain.

He could feel the Teknobot moving, in a vague sort of way that was almost completely overshadowed by the transformation he was undergoing, but there was a slight lurch that suggested he’d dropped out of the Blue Earth. Then there was a sensation of forward-movement, but the transformation ended and he was ejected from the Teknobot’s interlock-chamber before he could wonder too much about where he was going to end up.

Jetting off, feeling a thrill of pure pleasure at the feel of his own thrusters firing, he came back around and landed on the back of the Teknobot. Pulling out the two halves of his teknolance, he connected them and spun his teknolance over his head. Just for show, really, since there were no Spider-crabs in his path at the moment; it was just good to be back in top form.

_ [All right, Gunnar; let’s  _ finish _this.]_

_ [It’s impossible! You’re a Teknoman again, but how? Your crystal was  _ shattered _!]_

_ [Amazing what they can do with shattered crystals nowadays,] _ he mocked.

That, of course, was when more Spider-crabs showed up. _[Love to stop and play with ya, crab cakes, but I’ve got bigger fish to fry.]_ Spinning his teknolance to deflect the spays of sticky venom, he started carving them up with swift, economical strokes.

_ [Very well then!] _ Gunnar shouted, having obviously regained his equilibrium. _[Teknoman against Teknoman! To the_ death _this time!]_

_ [Yeah,] _ he snarled. _[_ Yours _.]_

Charging full-out, angling so that he would hit Gunnar head-on, he wasn’t surprised to see the evil Teknoman pulled back and started launching a hailstorm of exploding arrows and needles at him. Spinning his teknolance, he deflected these new hazards the same way he’d done with all of the Spider-crab venom that had been fired at him. Deciding not to bother with a drawn-out battle, wanting to have this over and done with so he could check on Saber, he began charging up a Tekno-bolt.

_ [What are you doing?!] _

_ [Do you know what time it is, Gunnar?] _

_ [No,] _ the evil Teknoman sneered. _[What time is it?]_

_ [Time to say goodbye,] _ he said flatly, firing his fully-charged Tekno-bolt directly at his enemy; directly at what was left of an old friend. _Goodbye, Fritz. I hope you find peace, wherever you’re going._

11101001

The light… the light was all he could see, now. And, as it broke his armor apart and blinded him with its fury, he could hear the screeching of the Radam mind-parasite that had been attached to the back of his neck ever since he had been awakened in Darkon’s moon base. It was a sound more mental than physical, and he was glad for it. That thing had caused him no end of sorrow, and its pain was like a balm to him now.

_ Ness, you did it… _ he thought, with the last moments of consciousness that remained in him. _…Thank you…_

110100111

As the last of the energy from his Tekno-bolt dissipated into interplanetary space, Slade felt the expected rush of weariness that he always found himself dealing with after firing off one of those. Gunnar was gone, though, so he was… not pleased, but satisfied with the outcome of this battle. Now all that remained was to head back to the Blue Earth and go… back.

Chuckling, Slade realized that he’d been just about to think of the Command Center as home. Still, maybe that wasn’t so bad; Saber was there, and there were also people who he was starting to become friends with. Home wasn’t really a _place_ , it was the people who lived there with you; the people you looked forward to seeing day-in and day-out.

He had people like that again, even though that wasn’t what he’d been looking for when he’d begun this war, and he wasn’t about to lose them this time. _Your days are numbered, Darkon,_ he vowed silently, his fist tightening on the shaft of his teknolance.

"Good work out there, Slade," Ringo said.

"Thanks, Ringo," he said, then sighed. This wasn’t the end of things.

11010111

As he felt his mental connection to Gunnar go violently dormant, Darkon pondered his next move. It was clear that merely having an emotional connection to the traitors would not be enough to prevent the deaths of whatever warrior he sent out to deal with them. So, perhaps a closer connection would be required next time.

It was, after all, a common expression on that little planet, that blood was thicker than water.


	8. Snapshot

As the last of the Wonder Twins flew back into the Blue Earth, he started turning the ship around in preparation for the trip back to the Command Center. He’d wait until Star had left, so she wouldn’t start in on him for what he was going to do, and then he would rake the Wonder Twins over the coals for being stupid, having more altruism than sense, and for nearly getting themselves killed for something that wouldn’t even have worked in the first place.

Gently guiding the Blue Earth back to her hangar, he shut down the engines and made his way into the hold. That was where the Teknobot would have landed, and so it was where Slade would have ended up once he came out of it. Sure enough, he found Slade, though oddly enough he was asleep in the Teknobot’s arms.

The strange part wasn’t that he’d found the kid sleeping, since that was what he always did when he transformed out of that armor of his, but seeing him in the Teknobot’s arms.

"D’you think you could let him down, now?" he asked, knowing that the Teknobot’s A.I. would respond to him just as much as Slade.

"Affirmative," the Teknobot said, lowering Slade gently to the ground.

Taking the kid’s weight before he could fall to the deck, Ringo thanked the Teknobot and left the hold. Star and Saber were gone by this time, and so he made for Slade’s room on his own. The kid would need his sleep if he was going to be made to properly _appreciate_ just how much he had screwed up. When they were both finally back in the land of the lucid, Ringo fully intended to sit them down – probably in his quarters, since there would be less chance of them being interrupted there – and lay out, in no uncertain terms, just what a pair of complete and utter idiots the two of them had been.

Still, for that he’d need them awake, and so he’d have to wait; it’d give him more time to think, anyway, so it wasn’t _all_ bad.

001001010

The loss of Gunnar, while it would _not_ halt the invasion or even seriously hinder his efforts at conquering this little planet, was still in the end a setback. He himself could not be burdened with commanding legions of Spider-crabs in battle with the traitor twins, particularly in light of how easily they were dealt with by those half-humans. He had already made his selection as to just who his newest front-line commander for those creatures would be, but there were still imperfections in his form that needed to be dealt with before he could be released.

There was also the matter of his mind to be dealt with, but that would be handled presently.

111010001

It was strange, like a revelation; he still knew who he _was_ , of course: he was Teknoman Spear, a loyal servant of Darkon and the Radam Empire, but now he remembered who he had once been. Conrad Carter had been his name; he’d had four younger siblings, and had been about to marry the love of his life before the Radam had taken him and all of his family – and several friends, he now recalled – into their service. He didn’t know just how many of those friends had survived the transformation process, but he was fairly sure that all of his family members had come through all right.

Opening his eyes, he waited for a moment for them to adjust to the interference from the teknopod fluid that he was still suspended in. _Well, there’s two of them; little sister Shara, and little brother Sammy. I wonder where the twins are, though? No way they wouldn’t have made it through. They had the same training as the rest of us, and they’re both incredibly stubborn, besides._

As soon as he had that thought, however, something like a mental databurst erupted in his mind. _Escaped? How in the world did they-_ Dad _. He must have done it; that little cretin. Just because_ he _wasn’t strong enough to serve the Empire, that didn’t give him the right to steal two of my little brothers from me._ Seething at the sheer audacity of his late father – the fail-safe would have killed him once he had been rejected, though it was a shame it hadn’t happened _faster_ – Spear resolved to try to convince the twins to return to the service of Darkon and the Radam Empire with him.

They would all be much better off if they were back together, after all; it was the way family _should_ be.

Closing his eyes with as much of a sigh as he could manage in the fluid-filled environment of the teknopod that still enclosed him, Spear settled himself back down. It would do him no good to waste his time thinking about someone who was already dead; it was the living who needed his attention, now. His poor little brothers; they must have been so confused, all alone on that little planet with no one like them, no one that they could properly relate to.

He was doing them a favor, really; they would be much happier once they were back where they belonged.

1010010001

When he woke up, yawning and stretching and curling his toes in the sheets just for the feel of it, the first thing Saber was consciously aware of was a screen set flush into the wall on the opposite side of his bed from the computer. A glowing screen, one that was currently displaying an image of Ringo.

"What a face to wake up to," he muttered, briefly scrubbing at his face with both hands.

"Real funny, Saber," Ringo shot back, rolling his eyes. "Look, there’s some things I need to discus with you and Slade, so come up to my quarters after you’re finished washing and dressing up."

Ringo’s face vanished, and was replaced by what he quickly recognized as a map indicating the quickest rout from his own quarters to the other man’s, before Saber could begin to berate the blond for his complete lack of manners. Sighing and shaking his head, Saber climbed out of bed.

_ [Heads-up, brother,] _ he said, padding across the floor with another yawn. _[Ringo wants something, and he didn’t look particularly happy when he contacted me.]_

_ [Yeah. He just contacted me, too. I wonder what he wants.] _

_ [My guess? It has something to do with what happened yesterday.] _

The link between them went dormant again, and Saber continued on his way to the attached bathroom that he had come to appreciate so much during his time as a Space Knight. Going through his morning routine, with only a glance at the shower unit to promise himself that he was going to have a long, hot one when he got back here, Saber left his quarters and caught up with his brother.

"You really think he wants to talk to us about what happened yesterday?"

"It seems pretty likely, given how he sounded over the comm. when we were in the rocket together," he pointed out. "By the way, there’s something I still owe you for that."

Before Slade could get more than half a syllable of his question articulated, Saber spun his brother around and slapped him right across the face.

"What was _that_ for?" Slade asked, holding his reddening right cheek.

"For being a self-sacrificing, suicidal moron," he said, then yanked his brother forward and wrapped his arms around his neck, burying his face in the cloth of Slade’s Space Knight vest.

_ [And this?] _ Slade asked, an unmistakable warmth in his tone.

_ [For being you.] _

There wasn’t anything more to say, after that, so the two of them continued on their way to Ringo’s quarters.

01001001

When the privacy chime on his door was rung, and he headed over to open it for the boys that he suspected would be right there waiting on the other side, Ringo smirked slightly as the doors parted. The Wonder Twins were there, just like he’d told them to be, so that was one less thing to yell at them about. He still had a lot of other ground to cover, so he really didn’t want to waste time on trivialities.

Grabbing the Wonder Twins by their respective collars, he dragged them into his quarters before either of them could say anything.

"Ringo, what the hell?" Saber demanded, straightening his collar; Slade just glared at him.

"Well, I just didn’t want you boys running off on me before I could get all of this out in the open," he said, reaching past the two of them to engage the privacy lock. "First, though, there’s something I’d like to get out of the way."

Before either of them could ask just what it was that he was starting off with, he belted them both a good one on their right cheeks. Oddly enough, both of them seemed to find that funny. He’d never taken them for closet masochists; their amusement was fairly short-lived, though, so at least they were _fairly_ normal.

"You stupid kids," he said, sighing. "Don’t you understand yet? We Space Knights are a _team_. That means we don’t go running out on each other whenever something big comes up. We support each other; and, no matter what happens, we stand together." As Saber started to open his mouth, Ringo pressed his pointer finger against the kid’s lips to shut him up. "I know; I know. You had your reasons and all that, and Gunnar’s little message riled you up but good. Still, you should have known that we’d be doing all that we could to get you two back on your feet. You kids have to start trusting us with more of the work; and not just the people who spend their time out there fighting with you. There’s a reason we have support staff, and Maggie and Mac are two of the foremost technical geniuses that I’ve met in my time."

Folding his arms, he looked from Saber to Slade; neither of them seemed to be inclined to say anything else, so he decided to press on; maybe some of this would actually sink in this time. He hoped so, at least.

Just as he was about to start speaking again, though, the emergency-alert went off. _Great timing,_ he thought, barely suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. Disengaging the lock, he opened the door and let the Wonder Twins dash out, before following them at a slightly more reasonable pace. This was important, or else the general-alert would have sounded instead, but there was no need to wear himself out over the situation.

When they all made it to the comm. room, he found that the others had arrived before them. Oddly enough, though, they weren’t being sent out to deal with a Spider-crab attack this time. Apparently, the Radam had decided to switch back over to the laser attacks they had been using in the early days of the invasion, the same tactics they’d been using before the Wonder Twins had come crashing down to Earth. In fact, they’d been using the lasers since before any of the Teknomen had showed up, and they’d only _stopped_ using them once Gunnar had made his little debut.

No _way_ was _that_ any kind of a coincidence.

Still, it wasn’t as if he _missed_ the psychotic Teknoman; although if the whole constant-rain-of-lasers kept up for too long, he’d probably start feeling morbidly nostalgic for the guy. If only because the Wonder Twins had been the ones on the front-lines fighting him. And, knowing how much those two had suffered for it, he wasn’t about to say anything.

As he flew the Blue Earth to the evac-point for the people whose city had come under attack by the Radam-controlled Space Ring lasers, Ringo hoped that the people who had been living there had managed to _get_ to the evac-point. He didn’t know if all of them would have managed it, not with the usual lack of warning the Radam gave before one of their by-now-infamous laser bombardments, but he at least hoped for _some_ survivors. Pushing away the thought of what their _last_ mission to rescue what they had been lead to believe were survivors of a Radam attack had been like, Ringo kept flying.

Gunnar had been atomized by Slade just a day ago; no way this could be another of those kind of traps.

The rest of their week pretty much went like that: the Blue Earth was dispatched to various sites, where they either aided in an evacuation, or the Wonder Twins were put on search-and-rescue detail, and the Blue Earth would ferry the evacuees to another of the growing tent-cities that had sprung up all around the countryside as more and more of the remaining cities came under threat of either Spider-crab attacks or Space Ring laser-bombardment.

Most of the larger cities had been steadily emptying out, in fact, as people came to realize just how dangerous it was to stay in one place with the constant threat of the Radam almost literally hanging over their heads. Ringo was glad to hear it; while city life did have its perks, it just wasn’t worth risking your own life for. Not many people were stupid enough not to accept that.

Having returned to the Command Center after their latest efforts at search-and-rescue, Ringo couldn’t help the slight smirk on his face. Both of the Wonder Twins had been sleeping in the arms of the Teknobot this time. The big mech’s left hand had been supporting Slade, and its right hand had supported Saber; the fingers had been gently curled around both of their bodies at hip-level, with both boys leaning against the arm that supported them. It had been cute, really; Ringo had found himself wishing for a camera right then.

Too bad they hadn’t been able to land in the secondary air lock; then he would have been able to copy the recordings from the camera, then single-frame the footage to get a good shot of those two in the Teknobot’s arms.

Leaving the Blue Earth for the sanctuary of his quarters, after having dropped Slade off in his room, Ringo decided that now was as good a time as any for a nice, long nap. He’d been almost constantly "on" this week, and who knew just when the next rain of Space Ring laserfire was going to start coming down. Besides, pretty much everyone in the Command Center had been keeping weird schedules lately, so why should he be any different?

11010100

Researching every scrap of data about the laser satellites controlled from the Space Ring, with a fresh mug of coffee close at hand, Hamilton Jamison, commander of the Space Knights, worked to devise a plan to finally end the threat posed to the people of Earth by those satellites. Taking another sip of his coffee, black with one sugar this time, he continued to peruse and assess the data he had pulled up about the computer that controlled the satellites. That was clearly the point most vulnerable to attack; the linchpin, as it were.

"Greetings, Commander Jamison. Hard at work, I see."

"General Gault," he acknowledged. "What can I do for you this morning?"

"High Command has decided that, in light of their recent, public actions, the public has a right to get to know the Space Knights on a more… personal basis." The smile on the General’s face left no doubt in Jamison’s mind that Gault himself had proposed this.

And also, that he had some ulterior motive for doing so.

"And how do you propose to go about that, General?" he asked; he wouldn’t be able to find out the specifics of Gault’s intention directly, the General was too canny for that, but he could at least determine what he would soon be dealing with. "I hardly think that any of the Space Knights could find the time to participate in an interview during this kind of crisis."

"I know a reporter; he’s a war correspondent, and he’s done very good work in the past," Gault said, and Jamison noticed that the other man was deliberately trying _not_ to seem too eager; this reporter was one of his agents, then. "Given what High Command has ordered, I propose that you allow the reporter to quarter himself within the Command Center, so that he – and by extension, the public – can come to better appreciate the sacrifices that the Space Knights make on their behalf."

"Very well," he said, knowing that there was no reasonable counterargument that he could offer; the Space Knights were hardly top secret, or involved in any research projects that the general public was likely to disapprove of.

He would still be reporting to Gault, of course, and Jamison knew just what the General was looking for. He’d been collecting data about Slade and Saber ever since the twins had first arrived in the Space Knight Command Center all those months ago, and updating it with every battle that those young men participated in. Gault would want that data; he had wanted it ever since he had become aware of them, and he was not the type to give up simply because he had been rebuffed by the young men in question.

Still, it was always better to know what your adversaries were planning, and Gault – while they were both on the same side – was clearly at odds with his way of doing things. He had known that their worldviews often diverged, but he hadn’t known until this invasion had begun in earnest just _how_ deeply Gault’s hunger for power truly ran. But then, war often brought out hidden facets of a person’s character; the struggle for survival pushing one beyond limits that were often left undiscovered during peacetime.

He himself had not truly known how far he was willing to go to protect his people until the Radam had appeared to threaten them.

110101010

When he woke up, his sleep having apparently been too deep for his usual bouts of nightmares, Slade stared up at the ceiling for a few moments. He wasn’t particularly in the mood to get out of bed right then, since pretty much all he had to look forward to was likely search-and-rescue duty with the other Space Knights. And, while he knew that it was a worthwhile aim, to keep people from dying under the near-constant barrage of lasers that the Radam were raining down on them now, he couldn’t deny that it took a lot out of him.

He just wanted a bit more time to himself, before he got up and had to face the Radam’s continuing offensive.

When the chime on his door was rung, Slade briefly considered rolling over in bed and pretending not to have heard it, but then whoever was outside – he took a moment to hope it wasn’t Ringo this time – would probably just ring it until he gave up and resigned himself to answering the thing.

_ [Brother, I know you’re awake in there,] _ Saber said, and he could tell that his brother was likely to be smiling at him. _[Mac says he wants us both down in the main machine shop, as quick as you can manage. He wants us to start learning about the Teknobot’s internal workings, or something like that.]_

_ [That sounds reasonable,] _ he said, rolling over on his bed so he could push himself up and out. Settling his full weight back on his feet, he yawned. _[Tell him I’ll be there in a couple minutes.]_

_ [Will do, brother.] _

Yawning again as he made his way to his personal bathroom, Slade tossed his old shirt into the hamper and stepped through the door. Going through his typical morning routine, Slade shucked his pants and tossed them in the hamper as he came back out. Pulling on yet another of the seemingly-infinite number of Space Knight uniforms that he had been provided with, Slade stretched as he made for the door.

"Morning, Mac," he said, stifling another yawn. "What was it that you wanted?"

"I think it’s time you lads started learning about the Teknobot," the portly, tanned mechanic said with a smile. "Especially you, Slade, since you’re going to be working so closely with it. It’s a good idea for you to know how to handle any minor problems that might come up."

"That sounds reasonable," he said, leaving his room and falling into step beside Mac.

The rest of their trip to the main machine shop was silent; even he and Saber didn’t really have anything to say. When he saw the Teknobot again, he smiled slightly; it almost felt like greeting an old friend. Which was probably apt, considering how much help the Teknobot had been to him: giving him the power to transform again after Gunnar had set up that trap of his, being able to fight beside him and Saber when they were sent into battle, and even helping with the search-and-rescue operations that the Space Knights had been participating in ever since he had obliterated Gunnar with his Tekno-bolt.

Learning about the Teknobot’s inner-workings could only help him, during all the battles that he was sure to face in the future.

"So, where do we start?" Saber asked, looking from Mac to the Teknobot; Slade had been wondering that, himself.

"First, I want you lads to help me reroute power away from the interlock-chamber," Mac said, as he continued to lead them toward the scaffolds surrounding the Teknobot. "Then we’ll start familiarizing you two with the Teknobot’s inner circuitry."

"Sounds good," he said, climbing up onto the scaffolding beside Saber.

000100101

It felt like someone or some _thing_ was taking a knife to his mind, trying to pare him down to almost nothing. Sam didn’t know just what was happening to him, but he was determined not to lose anything more than what he had. He remembered what had happened before, oh he _remembered_ , and he wasn’t going to give in to these creatures, these- _Radam_. Yeah; they were the Radam Empire, _they_ were the ones who had captured the Argos and everyone aboard her, killing those they couldn’t use and brainwashing the ones who were unfortunate enough to survive the horrors of the transformation process into obedient little slaves for the greater glory of their Empire.

He hated them, that was the only thing he could think about for several moments; he _hated_ the Radam for what they had done to his family, for how they had ripped apart his life.

Holding on to the fiery passion of his hatred, using the emotion to bolster his will to resist, Sam tried to meditate the way Grant-sensei had taught him to do. He hoped that Shara was okay; heck, he hoped that _Conrad_ was okay, and the twins, and everyone else who had been on the Argos and had managed to make it up to the point where he himself had passed out from the pain. Of course, in this case hoping that someone was okay meant hoping that they were _dead_ ; he wouldn’t wish this kind of horrible fate on anyone. Not even the people that he’d honestly hated back on Earth.

No one deserved to suffer _this_.

Pulling his consciousness inward, concentrating on hoarding his memories like the precious treasures they were, Sam Carter willed himself to withstand whatever was coming next. Hoping, all the while, that his friends and the other members of his family hadn’t survived to be subjected to this.

1010000101

"Keep tightening it, Slade my lad, we’re just about there," he directed the boy, continuing on with his own part of the work. "Hey, down there. Is everything operational with your field-control system?"

"Yeah, and I sure hope that it stays that way," drifted up to him from where Slade had stationed himself, in the unpowered space of the Teknobot’s interlock chamber to work on the systems that channeled the power of his emerald crystal.

"What do ya mean?" he returned, affronted. "It’ll hold up; I built it, didn’t I?"

Before he could begin to chastise the lad, or at least tell him off for having such a complete lack of faith in his teammates, he felt Saber’s hand on his arm.

"You shouldn’t take what my brother says personally, Mac," the younger Space Knight said, his expression more solemn than any that Mac had seen on the lad in all the time he’d known him. "He’s not talking about what you think he is."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, as Saber started to turn back to the work that he had assigned him earlier.

"It’s not that Slade doesn’t have any confidence in what you’ve built for him," the lad said, as he started working again. "It’s just that my brother has a tendency to worry. He’s probably hoping that _he_ doesn’t do something to screw up the Teknobot."

Saber had been muttering during that last part, as if the lad hadn’t intended to say it, but hadn’t been paying enough attention to avoid doing so. The same way he and Slade always seemed to avoid talking about anything that dealt with their past or what they really thought about… anything, really. Knowing that Saber would only dodge the issue if he tried to ask the lad about the second part of what he had said, he decided to keep it to himself.

"I’ll try to keep that in mind," he said instead.

He could hear Maggie and Tina talking nearby, though not well enough that he could make out what they were saying. He suspected that Maggie was hard at work, though; Slade had said that the Teknobot had seemed slow, during the last search-and-rescue mission that he had participated in. So, this served the dual purpose of introducing Slade and his brother to the basic workings of the Teknobot, and improving the mech’s response-time.

Before he could start working on the next part of this round of maintenance and upgrades to the Teknobot, Mac heard a distinctly unfamiliar voice. He knew most of the staff here well enough to identify them by voice, and the few he didn’t he at least knew by sight. This newcomer, a blond man with a mustache and a full, bushy beard, was no one he knew.

He also hadn’t received any word from the Commander about them bringing in any new personnel, so that meant that this guy wasn’t supposed to be here.

"Hey, you! Blondie!" he called, having already climbed down from the scaffolding in preparation for bringing up another set of tools for the next part of his work. "What’re you doing in here?"

"Now, calm down, Mac," Maggie said, sounding like she was actually _chastising_ him for his concern for the Space Knights’ security. "He’s here on assignment."

"Well, no one told _me_ about it!" he snapped. "This place is off-limits, except for Space Knights! I want some _answers_ , blondie! And I want them now! Start talking!"

000100111

When Mac grabbed the newcomer by the collar of his olive green jacket, he heard Saber’s amused chuckle over their link. It _was_ kind of funny, if only for the reminder of their own first meeting with the man. Still, he didn’t like the look of the blond, either. There was something about him…

_ [I have a bad feeling about this,] _ Saber said, his earlier mirth nowhere in evidence, as the blond gave them a disturbingly intrigued look from over Mac’s shoulder.

_ [Yeah.] _

Even _Ringo_ hadn’t triggered this kind of an immediate, almost aggressive response in either of them; at least not until he had started talking. The look on this man’s face suggested that he wasn’t going to be satisfied with just talking, though; _he_ was after something else. Something much bigger, Slade suspected.

Whether or not they would be willing to give it, would depend on just what _it_ turned out to be.

There was also the man himself to consider; whether or not their initial estimation of him would turn out to be accurate. There _were_ times when you could look into another person’s eyes and know the essence of their character, but there were other times when people could surprise you. The way that Ringo had done, when they had started getting to know the man. Time would tell if this man was anything like Ringo in that respect… still, he couldn’t help the bad feeling he had.

He might have been being paranoid again; he’d talk with Saber about his suspicions later.

101010001

When he woke up again, not bothering to open his eyes since he already knew where he was, Spear realized that he could sense one of the others; one of the others was _awake_. _Now, who could it- Sammy!_ He almost laughed; his baby brother had come through all right, and they would soon be together again. _I wonder if he can hear me, yet?_

_ [Sam?] _

_ [C-Conrad?] _ His youngest brother sounded so confused, so frightened; poor thing. _[Is it really you?]_

_ [I’m still here for you, Sammy,] _ he said, smiling. At least there were no more of his family that had gotten lost the way the twins had. _[I’m glad to see you made it through.]_

_ [Made it through? What do you mean?] _

That was odd; the closer he examined it, the more he examined what he was sensing, the more the mental signature he was getting from his youngest brother resembled that of a human. A telepathic human, yes, but still… _[Sammy, you’re not still fighting this, are you?]_

_ [Why wouldn’t I be?! You know what these  _ things _did to our family, Conrad! You can’t tell me you don’t hate them for it!]_

_ [Oh, Sammy,] _ he would have reached out to cup his baby brother’s cheeks, if he hadn’t been confined to his teknopod and prevented from moving by the fluid within it. _[You poor thing; you_ haven’t _been finished yet, have you? Still thinking like one of them.]_

_ [ _ What _?! Conrad, how could you even_ think _that?]_

Sam was still clinging to the weak, lingering humanity that still remained within him; in any other person, Spear would have thought that that was deplorable weakness, but from baby brother Sammy it was really kind of cute. _[You should really relax, Sammy. Just go with it, you’ll feel much better when it’s all over.]_

_ [What are you  _ saying _, Conrad? You can’t-]_

_ [Hush, Sammy,] _ he said gently, wishing he could have run his fingers though his youngest brother’s hair; it had always calmed him down in the past, and it had always made them both feel better. Especially when he would wrap his arm around Sam’s shoulders and let the younger boy lean against him. _[Kathy’s here, and Shara’s here, and Grant-sensei is here; we’re all still together.]_ Except for the twins, but they wouldn’t be lost for much longer, so there was no need to get into _that_. _[Just relax, little brother; you’ll feel better soon.]_

_ [No… No, you  _ can’t _be! Conrad would_ never _-!]_

_ [Stop talking nonsense, Silly Sammy. Just let go, and go with it.] _

_ [Shut up! Shut up!  _ Shut up _! You are_ not _my brother!]_

_ [Samuel Jacob Carter; you may be my baby brother, and you might be very confused right now, but that does  _ not _give you the right to speak to me with such blatant disrespect,]_ he said, a bit snappishly, but there were limits to even _his_ tolerance for his little brother’s antics. _[Now, I’m_ telling you _, Sammy:_ relax _. It’ll all be over soon, and you’ll be all the better for it.]_

He didn’t hear anything more from his baby brother, and he even got the sense that Sam was actually trying to block him out, so with a sigh Spear decided to relent. Sam wouldn’t be stuck that way forever; with the mind of a human and the developing powers of a Teknoman, so Spear would wait. He remembered that even _he_ had been resistant to the idea of what he was becoming at first, as hard as that was to believe at times given his new perspective.

Sam would come around eventually; all he had to do was be patient.

111010100

The blaring of the general-alert cut into Mac’s interrogation of the newcomer before the blond had actually _said_ anything, except for some cryptic bullcrap that he could have done just as well without, and as they all made their way toward the comm. room, Saber couldn’t help but notice the slight, niggling feeling that he was still being watched. He didn’t like it, but he also wasn’t going to give the blond the satisfaction of knowing just how much his presence unnerved him. He seemed like the kind of guy who would enjoy that kind of thing.

Once they were all gathered neatly inside the comm. room, Commander Jamison turned toward them with his usual all-business demeanor.

"The greatest threat currently facing our planet and it’s people are the Radam-controlled laser satellites," he said, once the last of them had arrived in the comm. room. "The Allied Earth Military has requested that the Space Knights assist them in their efforts to disable the laser satellites linked to the Space Ring. This request comes directly from General Gault."

Ringo spoke, before Saber himself could voice the same sentiment. "Typical. If _they_ can’t get it done, they call _us_ in to pick up the slack."

"Let’s try to remember that we’re all fighting for the same thing," the Commander said sternly.

"I know," Ringo conceded. "It just seems like we get all the dirty work."

"Much as it pains me to be agreeing with Ringo, it _does_ feel like we’re being used as the military’s errand-runners more often than not," he said, and smirked at Ringo as the other man made an indignant noise. He got a light punch in the shoulder for that.

"Perhaps," Commander Jamison allowed.

"Anyway," Ringo said. "Asking _them_ for a favor is like talking to a stone wall."

"Maybe," Star said, not sounding particularly sympathetic. "But, _you’d_ be better off worrying about the people in danger from the lasers, instead of your disdain for the military. And that goes for you, too, Saber."

"Yes, Star," he said, smiling slightly.

"We have to take out the lasers, that much we know," she continued. "But, sir, there are a _lot_ of them. How can we destroy them all by ourselves? Even _with_ the twins?"

The Commander held up a remote, pushing a button on it to activate the comm. room’s holo-screen. "This computer simulation shows that there are thirty-five laser satellites in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. If we were to try taking them out one-by-one, it would take us _months_ ; by that time, everything on Earth would be destroyed. In order to avoid that gruesome fate, we need to somehow reprogram the lasers’ main computer and render them inoperable."

"Why not just destroy the computer and be done with it?" Slade asked.

He snickered softly. _[Always the direct approach, eh brother?]_

_ [Why not?] _ his brother asked, with a smile in his mental voice. _[It’s not like I have_ your _talent for subtlety.]_

_ [True.] _

"I’m afraid we can’t do that," the Commander said, his tone reminding them of the seriousness of the situation. "If the computer is destroyed, its fail-safe backup system becomes active. Which means _all_ the satellites will fire their lasers simultaneously. And I don’t need to tell _you_ what that would do to our planet."

"Well, it sounds like we’ll have to reprogram the computer," he said, folding his arms. "Who’s going to take care of that?"

"Exactly. Star, I would like you and Maggie to design an alternate program," the Commander said, indirectly answering Saber’s question before he could remind the man that he had asked it.

"Yes, sir," Star said calmly.

"Oh, yes, and a reporter has been assigned to us," the Commander said.

_ [Wasn’t expecting  _ that _,]_ he said, nibbling the inside of his lower lip; if the reporter was who he suspected it was, then this would be an _interesting_ time for them.

"Reporter?" Ringo echoed. " _What_ reporter?"

"That’s me," a familiar voice, coming from the back of the comm. room, stated. He saw that Mac had escorted the blond in, probably so he wouldn’t get lost.

"Who _are_ you?" Slade asked, as Saber fought the urge to roll his eyes; it _figured_.

"The name’s Balzac." Saber swallowed a laugh; okay, maybe this wouldn’t be _all_ bad. "I’m a war correspondent and I’m here to do a story on you Space Knights. Everybody wants to hear about you, since you’re in the middle of the action."

"They _do_?" Mac asked, sounding like it was news to him.

"A war correspondent? Now I’ve heard _everything_ ," Ringo groused. "Whoever thought of _this_ idea had better think again."

"I hate to break it to you." _Yeah, I’ll bet_ , Saber groused, biting back a sarcastic remark or two. "But I’m here to stay. You’re my assignment, so I’ll be sticking to you guys like flypaper twenty-four hours a day." _You and what cloned army?_ Saber thought derisively.

"I can’t _believe_ this," Ringo snapped.

"Commander, I don’t think it’s a good idea to take a reporter into the warzone," Star said reasonably; Saber hoped that someone was listening.

"This is another mandate from the military," the Commander said; Saber sighed. Of course it was. "They say it’s to give hope to the people of the planet, by telling them all about Slade, Saber, and their battle against the Radam. And this comes directly from General Gault."

_ [I hadn’t pegged that guy for a closet voyeur,] _ he said, pressing his lips together in a thin line as he continued to stare down the reporter.

_ [Maybe you should have.] _

_ [Probably.] _

"Figures," Ringo said, clearly annoyed; Saber definitely shared the sentiment.

"Yep; and you’d be wise to remember it," the blond, Balzac, said, as he strode up to him and Slade. "If I’m not mistaken, you two are those Teknomen I’ve been hearing so much about. Twins, right?"

"Yeah? What’s it to you?" Slade asked, sounding about as annoyed as Saber felt.

"Rumor has it that neither of you can remember anything about your respective pasts," he said, with an insinuating tone that Saber didn’t like one bit. "Now, why don’t you boys tell me the real story?"

"You know something?" Star snapped, stepping out in front of them before Saber could have done something _really_ stupid like punch ball-sack in the face. "That sounds like a question out of a scandal-sheet, not a question from some war correspondent."

" _Ouch_ ," Balzac said, not sounding at all contrite. "I’m going to have to watch my step around you."

_ [I  _ definitely _like her,]_ he said, careful not to smile, since he didn’t want to give Balzac anything to work with.

_ [You would.] _

_ [You can’t tell me that  _ you _don’t,]_ he said, turning his head slightly to catch his brother’s gaze.

_ [Well, maybe,] _ Slade said, the barest hint of a smile in his brother’s mental voice.

_ [Why, big brother, do you have a crush?] _

_ [Can we not talk about that?] _ Slade said, a bit too quickly.

"Indeed you will," the Commander said firmly. "For you are here _strictly_ as an observer. Understand this: I will only allow you to stay here under one condition: you are not to interfere with any of the Space Knights. Especially during their maneuvers. Do we understand each other?"

"Of course, Commander. I just want to do my job," Balzac said; insincere prick. "Like we all do."

"Very well," Commander Jamison said. "The operation will commence at eleven-hundred hours today. Get moving."

"Yes, sir," he joined the rest of the Space Knights in saying.

They left the comm. room quickly after that, breaking up to head for their various destinations. And, since there was going to be copious amounts of fighting involved, he and Slade made directly for the cafeteria. Balzac tailed them, the way he’d been starting to suspect he would, but they both made it a point to ignore the man. It wasn’t like they were going to give him the time to start badgering them with questions neither of them was particularly inclined to answer.

Once they had ordered all the food they were going to have time to eat, before the mission to the Space Ring to disable the computer controlling the Space Ring’s laser satellites, he and Slade settled down at their table and proceeded to ignore Balzac as they ate. Eating fairly quickly, since they _did_ have a mission in less than fifteen minutes, both of them made sure not to do anything that would invite Balzac to start talking to them.

Apparently, though, Balzac didn’t feel the need to wait for an invitation.

"So, you boys certainly seem to have quite an appetite," Balzac said; neither of them gave him anything in return. "Is there anything you might want to tell me, or are the two of you just getting pre-combat jitters?"

"Hey, kids!" Ringo called, distracting Balzac’s attention for a few moments. "If you two are done stuffing your faces, you’d best be getting moving. We’re heading out in six minutes."

"We’ll be right there, Ringo," he said, as Slade picked up their trays, gathered their dishes, and headed to drop them off.

"Star and I will be waiting for you two," he said, with a smile obviously directed at just the two of them.

When Slade came back from his errand, the two of them left the cafeteria and caught up with Star and Ringo outside the door. The four of them, five if you counted Balzac though he was trying not to, ran the rest of the way to hangar three and the Blue Earth waiting for them there. When they reached the ship, they all took their usual seats and strapped themselves in.

"Prepare for launch," Star said calmly, and Saber could hear the deep, powerful, far-off thrumming that meant the main boosters of the pre-launch vehicle had just engaged.

As the vibrations rattled through him, vibrating his teeth in a way that Saber didn’t really think would ever become routine for him, he heard the sound of footsteps coming into the back of the cockpit. Probably Balzac, much as he really would have preferred to leave the prick behind.

"All systems are on-line," Star said over her shoulder.

"Hold on, we’re taking this baby up," Ringo said, sounding pleased. "Full power to the thrusters."

There was a definite kick when the rest of the thrusters engaged, followed by the usual feeling of being squeezed when the acceleration started in earnest, and Saber took deep breaths as they hit the launch-ramp and soared up it.

_ [Well, here we go again, brother,] _ he said, his eyes at half-mast; it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen any of this before.

_ [Yeah,] _ Slade responded. _[Once more into the breach, and all that.]_

The flight itself was actually fairly uneventful this time, though he really didn’t expect that to last. Darkon would have his Spider-crabs out in force, since this was another of his plans they were going to stop today. Hearing the sound of footsteps leaving the cockpit, and knowing that neither of the two people who had actual _duties_ aboard the Blue Earth would have left, at least not without taking some precautions to keep the ship flying while they were away, Saber suspected he knew who it was.

_ [Balzac just left,] _ he said, after looking over his shoulder to confirm it.

_ [Maybe he needed to use the bathroom,] _ Slade said, looking back over his shoulder at the now-empty seat that Balzac had been sitting in.

_ [He really should have gone before we left,] _ Saber chuckled softly. _[This one’s not exactly one of the most comfortable bathrooms out there.]_

Before either of them could continue their impromptu discussion, the sound of the main air lock doors opening and closing drew their attention. Slade’s eyes narrowed, even as Saber began to have some unpleasant suspicions of his own. He and his brother were out of their respective seats and making for the main air lock nearly at the same time, moving together with the ease of long practice. The air lock doors parted before them, and sure enough, there was Balzac; with a camera, standing dead-center in front of the Teknobot.

"Hey!" Slade exclaimed, clearing the distance between them and the reporter in a single, easy bound; Saber followed at a more sedate pace, though he was no less irritated. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"Relax," the blond said. "I’m just taking pictures of your Teknobot."

"I didn’t exactly hear you asking permission," he said, as Slade turned away.

"Should I have? Is there some secret you’re trying to keep about it?"

"It’s my brother’s property," he said, ignoring the man’s insinuating tone and the thrust of his words. "Anyone with a scrap of common courtesy would have known to at least _ask_ ," he folded his arms. "Didn’t your mother ever teach you that?"

"Sharp tongue you’ve got there, Saber; I guess I’ll have to watch my step around _you_ , too," Balzac said, giving him a once-over. "Slade, I’ve been meaning to ask you this by the way, can anyone who enters the Teknobot transform into a Teknoman? And why do you have one, and your brother doesn’t?" he paused for a moment, looking from him to Slade. "C’mon, boys, you can tell me."

_ [I officially don’t like him,] _ he said; sure, those were valid questions, and under other circumstances he would have been happy to answer them, but Balzac had an annoying habit of making every question he asked sound like some kind of an insinuation.

_ [I really have to agree with you there, brother,] _ Slade said, his annoyance clear.

"Only I can use the Teknobot; Saber doesn’t need one," Slade said over his shoulder, as they both turned to leave the air lock; they’d seen what they wanted to, so there was no point in staying any longer.

"Well then, what’s the mystery?" Balzac asked, hurrying to catch up with them. "Why are you so special? And, what do you mean when you say that your brother doesn’t need one? What is it about the Teknoprocess that you two are hiding from us?" he said, getting in close to Slade as his brother worked the controls for the main air lock.

They were going to be a bit more proactive this time, taking the fight to the Spider-crabs instead of waiting for the fight to come to them.

"Haven’t you ever heard of the concept of ‘personal space’?" he asked, standing just behind his brother as he worked.

Balzac just smirked in response. "You two must know that the Radam have their own Teknomen. Now, I’m not trying to imply that you boys are working for them, but I do find it strange that you two are the only _humans_ with that ability. If someone didn’t know better, they might think that you two were some kind of traitors."

_ What?! That miserable little- _ seething with the kind of fury that he usually only reserved for the Radam, he took a single step to put himself right in Balzac’s face, shoved the man back far enough that he wouldn’t risk hitting Slade during the arc of his swing, and slapped the irritating blond as hard as he could. " _Never_ say that again," he snarled.

"How _dare_ you say that about us; you don’t know _anything._ Saber and I have been doing everything we can to save this planet, and that’s all _you_ need to know," Slade snapped, coming forward to put a hand on his right shoulder.

"Calm down, boys," Balzac said, reaching up to rub at the reddening mark on his right cheek. "I didn’t say that I thought you two were traitors, but a journalist covers all the angles. It’s my _job_ to find out if you two are hiding something. For example: you boys claim to have suffered a complete loss of memory, seems awfully convenient. Are you boys sure you’re not _concealing_ anything?"

For once, he was entirely pleased to hear the blaring of the Blue Earth’s proximity-alarms; it meant that he could get away from the annoying prick before he was tempted to drop the largest, heaviest thing he could safely lift on the man’s foot. Ringo’s shout, and his brother’s answer, was almost secondary. Pulling out his crystal, he took a deep breath; it was strange, doing this kind of thing without Slade by his side, but anything could become routine if you did it often enough.

000100010

His first attempt at getting answers from the Space Knights’ prize soldiers really hadn’t gone off the way he’d planned; in fact, it had been something of a fiasco. Still, what he was seeing now went a long way toward making up for that. Slade wasn’t even the most interesting thing in the room, since all _he_ did was to activate that Teknobot of his. No, the one he was most interested in was _Saber_ ; particularly that glowing, geometric shape he held in his right hand.

It was clearly the key to that transformation of his, and Balzac made a mental note to take a closer look at that Teknobot of Slade’s; he wondered if the geometric shape he had not-quite-glimpsed was unique to Saber, or if it in itself was the key to the transformation. And, if that were true, then what kind of role did Slade’s Teknobot play in enabling _his_ transformation?

Saber was now surrounded by a glowing, crackling cage of energy; one that took a winged, extremely geometric shape. He would have been willing to bet at least a few months’ salary that that shape was an exact copy of the small whatever-it-was that he had been holding in his hand. Arcs of red energy, resembling nothing so much as the lightning he had seen in uncountable thunderstorms since he was a boy, raced up, down, around, and over Saber’s body, even as a glow the same color as his eyes began to fill up the empty, geometric cage.

In a single burst of red energy, Saber’s Space Knight uniform was shredded into nothingness, leaving him standing _naked_ in the middle of the air lock. Pinching the bridge of his nose to erase the mental images he was no doubt going to end up with after this, Balzac tilted his camera upward so that it only filmed Saber from the waist up. He recalled, then, a bit of old military humor that sometimes made the rounds when there was nothing else to distract them from the aggressive grimness of the war all around them.

It was a list of things a, most likely fictional, solder was not to do, or say, in the military. One item in particular came to mind now: _We do not charge into battle naked, like the Celts._

The crystalline-cage containing Saber darted out and down into the space that had been vacated by the launch of the Teknobot, where he was certain that Slade was undergoing the exact same kind of transformation as he had just seen with Saber. Moving to stand by a narrow window, out of which he could see the battle that was about to be joined between those Teknomen and all of the Spider-crabs that had been sent out to attack them.

Slade was ejected from his Teknobot, at the exact same moment that the bright blue energy surrounding Saber dispersed into the void of interplanetary space. Both of them were now fully transformed into those strange-looking armored forms of theirs; the ones that everyone on Earth knew to call Teknoman, and he watched as they moved almost as one to confront the Spider-crabs.

Those two… they were _magnificent_ ; each of them was an army unto himself, and for a moment he reflected that it was really too bad that the AEM hadn’t managed to get their hands on these kids before the Space Knights had. They might have actually managed to do some damage to the Radam, rather than just hanging around on Earth, waiting for them to attack again. He also seriously doubted that either of them had been telling the truth about their amnesia; it was an entirely too convenient façade for them to put up.

It was clearly also something that the Space Knights were only too happy to leave alone. Certainly no one in the AEM would have been so quick to disregard such obvious sources of intelligence on the Radam and their plans for Earth as a pair of turncoat Teknomen; whatever these kids said in their own defence, they had clearly had dealings with the Radam at one point or another. That was why he had going to make it his business to find out just exactly what it was that Teknoman Slade and Teknoman Saber were hiding _behind_ that little façade of theirs.

It was clearly something the AEM needed to know, and likely enough it was something that could be used against the Radam.

When a pair of lights, the same color as the eyes of the Teknomen who were likely producing them, burst into being in the middle of a large swarm of Spider-crabs and then began to shear through them like a pair of hot knives through butter, Balzac couldn’t help the small grin that pulled at his lips. The Spider-crabs were dying by the score, in the wake of those energy discharges; after seeing all of the damage that they had done to any of the military vehicles and personnel that had been sent up against them, it was _deeply_ satisfying to see that kind of thing.

"Balzac, we’re nearing the Space Ring," he heard Star announce over the comm. "If you’re coming with us, suit up and be at the air lock in three minutes."

_ Well, I suppose I’ve gotten enough footage for one day, _ he mused. There was no way he was going to miss this; knowing the actual capabilities of the Space Knights, while it wasn’t vital to his mission in the least, might help to assuage his personal curiousity. Moving out to the Blue Earth’s storage area, he stowed away his camera and retrieved one of the four EVA suits stored there.

He suspected the suits themselves were kept for the twins, and for a whimsical moment he wondered if he was wearing Slade’s or Saber’s. Then, putting his momentary distraction aside, Balzac continued on his way to the air lock. He knew that, as important as this mission was for information-gathering purposes, there was also the matter of the laser satellites to be dealt with.

And, as much as he knew that the General wanted to know just how those Teknomen’s powers worked, the civilian governments wouldn’t be particularly happy with him if they didn’t see results on this mission of theirs. The Space Knights might very well need his help before it was all over. Continuing on his way to the air lock, pausing for a moment as he heard footsteps coming up behind him, Balzac paused to watch as the other two remaining occupants of the ship came to join him.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Balzac?" Ringo; he wondered for a moment if that was the man’s name, or if it was just a call-sign that everyone had started using around him and had just never stopped, asked. "This isn’t going to be a picnic."

"I wouldn’t miss _this_ for the world," he said, with a soft chuckle.

As they all moved out into the Space Ring, he kept his eye out for more Spider-crabs. Even _with_ those two Teknomen working cleanup out there, there was always the chance that one or two of those monsters would slip past them. No defense was absolute; he’d come to learn that _damned_ well over the time that he’d spent with the AEM.

"I’ve got a frequency-match; let’s go. It should be right over here, on the left," he heard Star say, from her place at the front of their group. "Yeah; here it is."

_ It _ turned out to be a large, imposing door; closed, of course, the way everything in the Space Ring had been when the Radam had begun showing up.

"Star, see if you can patch us into the bulkhead controls," Ringo suggested; he wondered idly if the Space Knights really _had_ a chain of command, aside from every one of them seeming to take orders from that Commander of theirs.

"You got it," the lady Space Knight said, as she quickly set to work on the computerized controls that would give them access to the next section on their way through the Space Ring. "Got it."

The door in front of them slid open slowly, but there was Something Very Bad on the other side: a Spider-crab. They all dove backwards as the Radam monster tried to rush them, but he was at a loss as to what they should do next. He’d seen single Spider-crabs take out entire battalions; _tank_ battalions no less, so there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of any of the three of _them_ even escaping from the thing unless something drastic happened.

"Make for that overhead hatch," Ringo said, as they all continued on their way forward.

However, while they still had a fair amount of distance to cover, another Spider-crab burst out of that very hatch.

" _Maybe_ that’s not such a great idea," Ringo amended, before either he or Star could say anything to the other man.

As the two Spider-crabs closed in on them, each raising one of their nasty, pointed legs for a killing-strike, he heard the two Space Knights discussing their extremely limited options. He knew what option was the most viable, though; he was just hoping that those kids would come through for them in the end. It felt weird, though; trusting his life to someone who wasn’t part of his small circle of friends.

Still, if it was what he needed to do to survive, he’d do it.

When both of the Spider-crabs were impaled suddenly, each with a strange, thrown weapon in their bodies, he knew that his momentary faith had been rewarded. He wasn’t going to be giving it out in the long-term, of course, since in the end these two were just one more stepping-stone on his path to power. He didn’t know just _how much_ power he was going to get from investigating these kids, but General Gault could be exceptionally generous when he was pleased.

And he’d wanted hard data on these Teknomen ever since he’d found out what they could do.

Watching the two wounded Spider-crabs explode left him a bit confused, but he shook it off and concentrated on the only things in the room that were of particular importance it the moment.

"I’ll say one thing for these kids: they sure know to make an entrance," he said to no one in particular. "Slade, Saber; it’s so nice to see you boys again."

They were both standing on Slade’s Teknobot, riding it like some kind of giant, mechanical surfboard, and both of them had their weapons in their hands again. He’d noticed them throwing their right arms out, but he hadn’t quite known just what to make of the gesture, and the explosion of the Spider-crabs had obscured anything else that might have happened between them making that gesture and them getting their weapons back.

"Are you three all right?" Slade asked.

"We’re better now," Star said, sounding just a _bit_ more relieved than someone in a purely professional relationship would have been.

"Sorry we didn’t make it here sooner, but some of our more ardent admirers just _couldn’t_ keep their hands off of us," Saber said; sharp-tongued _and_ sarcastic, he could already tell that getting along with this kid was going to be a bit more interesting than usual.

"Let’s get going," Ringo said, already turning around.

"Slade, you and Saber follow us."

"Right behind you, Star," the white Teknoman said, and he could hear the subtle hiss of repulsorlifts as the Teknobot drifted after them.

It was a comforting thought, he had to admit, having the two kids with more power than the entire Allied Earth Military at their backs; not exactly at their beck-and-call, but then the Space Knights _were_ pretty much just glorified civilians, so you couldn’t really expect anything better.

0001010001

As she moved through the empty corridors of the Space Ring, it gave her a warm feeling to know that the twins had their backs and wouldn’t let them down. Slade in particular, though she tried not to think of it like _that_ ; Saber was just as reliable as his brother, and he probably wouldn’t have appreciated the insinuation that he wasn’t doing as much for the cause as Slade. Still, it wasn’t _Saber_ who was beginning to stir new feelings in her heart.

Sure, Slade’s brother was nice; he was sweet, funny, kind, dependable, trustworthy, and very obviously protective of Slade, but she felt more like he was a younger brother of hers than any kind of romantic prospect. She didn’t quite know what made Slade so different, but the fact remained that he was. Still, she could explore her feelings in more detail later; now there was a planet down there that wanted saving, and everyone on it was depending on them.

"The main computer operating the lasers is right down this corridor," she informed them, trying to ignore the drifting bodies that they were starting to pass as they made their way into the more heavily-used sections of the Space Ring. "According to my calculations, it should be right behind this door."

"Can you get us through?" Ringo asked, with the confidence of a man who hadn’t been disappointed once.

"Almost done," she said, having gone to work on the computer just before Ringo had started speaking. "Got it!"

The doors parted slowly for them, and Slade took point. Saber brought up the rear, probably since the Spider-crabs still infesting this place were notoriously unpredictable. Something she’d had demonstrated to her in a particularly unforgettable manner not a few minutes earlier.

She was glad to see that the twins had been thinking ahead.

Checking the mini-computer she’d brought along with her, she found that they were right on track. What they saw beyond the door, however, reminded her uncomfortably of when she, the twins, and Ringo had first confronted Gunnar: there was a huge, pulsating, eerily flesh-colored Radam construct, wrapping itself around the main control-node of the computer. Strange, purple lights flashed on and off, in exact time with the pulsating of the organic construct that the Radam were using to control the computer.

"This _blob_ is what’s controlling the computers?" Ringo demanded, as they all stared up at the towering, pulsating form of the Radam construct.

Just then, several vine-shaped, almost tentacle-like things shot out of the side of the construct that was facing them. Shouting at them to look out, Slade tackled them all to the floor, and she winced slightly as she felt the breath driven out of her by the force of his landing. Saber was clearly making himself scarce, since none of the vine/tentacles were trying to attack _him_.

When Slade stood back up, obviously intent on dealing with the Radam’s construct in the most immediate, permanent way possible, she took a deep breath and shouted to him before he could do anything irreparable.

"Don’t destroy it!" she said, as she saw Saber hurrying back over to his brother’s side. "Remember what Commander Jamison said!"

As Slade paused, his weapon still slightly drawn-back in preparation for unleashing his fury on the Radam’s computer-controlling construct, Saber raised his own weapon. She felt a flash of apprehension, right up until Saber actually turned the flat of his blade to face downward, and then thumped his brother on the head with it. Pointing to the Radam construct, his body-language clearly irate even in spite of the fact that she couldn’t hear his voice, he switched hands on his weapon so that he could make the finger-spinning-around-the-ear gesture for crazy; then switched his weapon back to his right hand and swatted Slade on the back of the head.

"Those two are _definitely_ brothers," she heard Ringo chuckling over their shared comm.

"Sorry about that," Slade said, sounding sheepish, as he turned to face them. He quickly became all business once again, though. "Teknobot! Target: dead ahead! Secure and hold!"

"Affirmative!"

The Teknobot moved forward, quickly responding to Slade’s commands as it lifted the Radam construct up and off the floor of the Space Ring and allowing them a bit more leeway to access the computers’ controls. Not a lot, however, since Spider-crabs began to arrive almost instantly after the Teknobot had fully secured the construct. It was almost like they had been alerted somehow, but that was probably just her imagination overreacting.

"Get to work, you two!" Slade called over his shoulder. "Saber and I can handle this!"

"He’s right," Ringo said. "They’ve got a job to do, and so do we."

It was a bit difficult, making herself turn away from a battle that was being fought just a few feet away from them, but Star knew that she had to trust the twins to hold the line. Trust them to have their backs while they occupied themselves with matters in front. She would, but it was still hard; every shriek of a Spider-crab, every roar of a battlecry, and every time Saber would taunt one of his mindless foes, reminded Star of just how close they all were to the action.

They were usually at least _marginally_ protected by the bulk of the Blue Earth while the twins fought Darkon’s Spider-crabs.

"What’ve you got, Star?" Ringo asked.

"Almost done," she reported, continuing to enter the commands that would complete the upload of the shut-down program that her and Maggie had worked so hard to create; hopefully, with the Radam’s construct out of the way, their program would be able to render the computers inoperable, and thus save the millions of people who were in harm’s way with the laser satellites under the control of the Radam.

_ One last sequence, and that computer goes down for good, _ she mused, with a definite feeling of relief and satisfaction. A feeling that lasted until she saw the red glow of a Spider-crab’s eyes reflected in the computer screen. Turning, wanting to at least face the creature that was trying to kill her, Star caught sight of Slade moving to intercept it. He hit it, true, which stopped the monster dead in its tracks.

But it also caused it to explode in just the same way as all the Spider-crabs that the twins had killed ended up exploding.

One of the claws, torn loose from the body and flung by the detonation, flew toward the computer core. Star thought that she could hear people shouting in dismay; thought that she herself might have even been shouting with them, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Saber moving. He had his weapon up, as if he was planning to bat the claw away, but he must have moved too slowly, because the next thing she was fully aware of was Slade shouting his brother’s name as Saber himself screamed.

As Saber turned himself around, standing perpendicular to them where before he’d had them at his back, Star stared in horror at the Spider-crab claw sticking out of the joint where his armored shoulder met his body.

"For the record," Saber said, his voice strained and hoarse as he grabbed the claw and struggled to pull it out of his body. "I _really_ didn’t mean to do it like this."

With the bloody claw now lying on the floor, and Saber leaning over to try and catch his breath, Star let out a small breath of her own. Now, at least she would have the time she needed to complete the sequence. Her relief, such as it was, lasted until she heard Saber’s low, pained moan.

Turning to look back at the man who had just saved all of their lives, not to mention the lives of a few million people down on the planet below them, she saw that he had his left arm bent in a manner that suggested he was holding his head, and that he was starting to sway slightly on his feet. Before she could wonder too much about that, a cage of energy that resembled Saber’s teknocrystal formed around him, and his entire armored body was overshadowed by blue-white light.

His armor retreated almost instantaneously, and just as the light obscuring his human form vanished, Saber fell backwards to the floor. At least, he would have, if Balzac hadn’t rushed forward to catch him just as he had started to tilt over. Balzac caught Saber just as he would have smashed his head against the deck, but he couldn’t really do anything about the wound in his shoulder.

The wound that was bleeding enthusiastically all over the floor.

The sound of gasping breaths reminded Star of just why they had been wearing the EVA suits in the first place. The atmosphere in these sections of the Space Ring was too thin to allow a human to survive unprotected for very long.

"Slade!" Balzac shouted, Saber’s head cradled in his lap. "I need you to come over here and put pressure on your brother’s wound," he said, sounding more like a combat medic than any kind of reporter that she had ever heard of.

Slade, of course, was at his brother’s side almost instantly, after he had checked to make sure that no other Spider-crabs were going to come after them. Pressing his armored hands down on both sides of Saber’s perforated shoulder, Slade knelt next to his brother with the air of someone hoping desperately that everything would turn out all right. Meanwhile, Balzac himself went over to the console next to the one she was working on, and pulled out a small oxygen tank with a breather-mask.

Affixing the mask to Saber’s face, Balzac knelt down opposite Slade and waved the Teknoman away. Slade backed up slightly, and Balzac clearly dismissed him from his mind, since the next thing he did was to quickly remove Saber’s Space Knight vest and begin tearing it into strips. Slade, who hadn’t let go of his brother’s shoulder up to this point, moved his armored hands away from the wound and sat back on his knees. He stared at his armored hands, smeared as they were with his brother’s blood, and his large shoulders slumped in a way that suggested he was sighing.

"All right, he’s not in danger of suffocating anymore," Balzac said, as he picked Saber up and carried him so that the oxygen tank could rest on his lap. "Let’s get him out of here before he starts freezing to death."

That was a distinct possibility, much as she didn’t like it; with so little atmosphere to hold the heat of anything that might be radiating it, it would be so much easier for someone unprotected the way Saber was right now to suffer a fatal drop in core-body temperature. Still, moving him had its own set of risks: the convection currents that would normally cool someone down were disrupted in this environment, true, which meant that the heat that Saber’s own body produced would ordinarily stay close enough to his body to do him at least _some_ good, but since Balzac was going to carry him that wasn’t going to be allowed to happen. They would have to move quickly, if they were going to keep Saber from freezing while they walked.

001010010

"Teknobot, toss that thing out of here," Slade said, knowing that it was best to get rid of the thing before the Radam tried to use it for one of their other plans; or even tried to reactivate the computers with it somehow.

There was no verbal response from his Teknobot, but it quickly yanked the Radam’s computer-controlling construct up off of the floor hard enough to break every last one of its anchoring-points, lifted the hideous thing up and over its head, and threw it at the far wall of the Space Ring hard enough to knock a hole in the metal. The two Spider-crabs that had been standing there were knocked outside as well, and he was relieved that he at least wouldn’t have to deal with them.

"Tekno-bolt!" he screamed, firing the weapon that he had begun charging just before he had ordered the Teknobot to throw the Radam construct out of the Space Ring.

When the coruscating energies had obliterated the Radam construct entirely, he turned away from the new hole he had made in the wall of the Space Ring and quickly followed Star, Balzac, and the others out of the room before it had permanently sealed itself to the vacuum of space. He wished for a moment that there had been another way to deal with the Radam construct and the Spider-crabs that had been guarding it, some way that _wouldn’t_ have ended up exposing Saber to even more danger than he had already been put in, but there hadn’t. All that remained was to get back to the Blue Earth, and then back to the Command Center so that Saber could be taken care of in the infirmary.

That was the foremost thought in his mind, as he climbed back onto the Teknobot and ordered it to keep pace with the other Space Knights and Balzac.

When they all reached the Blue Earth at last, Star suggested to him that he should transform back and then go eat something. He was grateful to her for not revealing his weakness to Balzac, since he didn’t know just what the reporter would have done with _that_ kind of information, and it was just best not to push his time-limit in any case. Heading for the Teknobot, after a last look over his shoulder at Saber to make sure his younger brother was really all right, he ordered the Teknobot to open its interlock-chamber and tiredly climbed inside.

As the energies of his transformation left him, and the expected rush of weariness came in their place, Slade all but fell backwards out of the Teknobot as it closed up again. He would have probably ended up falling on his butt if the Teknobot hadn’t reached out to catch him in one of its large hands. With most of his energy gone, all Slade really wanted to do was sleep.

Still, he at least wanted to have _some_ food before he fell asleep somewhere, if only so he wouldn’t feel so light-headed when he inevitably fell asleep.

Heading into the storage area, he grabbed a ration bar and peeled it open as he made his way back to the cockpit. Ringo and Star had already come back inside, and Saber had been strapped into his seat. He was glad for that, since that meant that there wasn’t much that he had to worry about, besides getting himself fed and trying not to fall asleep with food in his mouth.

Once he had finished the ration bar, he shoved the wrapper in his pocket, turned his chair enough so that he could keep his younger twin brother in his line-of-sight even while he slept, and closed his eyes as another wave of tiredness washed over him. The Blue Earth had just been starting its descent back into the atmosphere, and so he suspected that they would all be back home before he woke up again.

_ Home… _ he would have smiled, if he’d had the excess energy; after all that had happened, he and Saber finally had a home again. It was a nice feeling, all the moreso since they hadn’t even been looking for it when they had started out. Home had been them and their family, and with the Carters gone, he hadn’t ever expected to have a home again.

Now, though, he and Saber had another home; and, while their first one would always hold a place in their hearts, the Space Knight Command Center _was_ their home now.

1110101011

Slade, having fallen asleep while staring at his brother, was in Ringo’s arms, while Star was carefully carrying Saber. They were all making for the infirmary; even him, since both conscious Space Knights had insisted that he come with them, at least as long as they needed to talk to him. Or, that was the impression that he got from the way Ringo had looked at him while they were walking.

"So, Balzac, you seem to know a lot about battlefield medicine for a reporter," Ringo said, his voice only slightly lowered; those twins of theirs must have either been extremely deep sleepers, or else the man just didn’t care if he woke them or not.

Balzac wondered for a moment which it was, before deciding that something like that wasn’t really his concern.

"I’m a _war correspondent_ , remember?" he lied easily, giving the two Space Knights a sidelong smile. "You think I haven’t seen my share of battlefield injuries? Treating them is something that every one of us learns, sooner or later, just to be able to survive in the kind of dangerous situations we always seem to end up finding ourselves in."

"What _I’m_ more interested in, is how you managed to find that oxygen tank," Star said, looking up from her study of Saber to pin him with a look that mixed gratitude, curiousity, and something that Balzac wasn’t sure he could interpret. "Saber would have died if you hadn’t, which I’m sure Slade would thank you for if he were conscious right now," the other emotions on Star’s face smoothed into plain gratitude then, and she smiled at him. "But, how _did_ you know to look for that oxygen tank?"

"The AEM laid in some emergency supplies for the more heavily-used sections of the Space Ring," he said; and this was the complete truth. "After all, no technology is completely infallible. There were even a pair of EVA suits, but it would have taken too long to get him into one of them."

Besides, they had been stored in a locker on the far side of the room; there had been no time to even _get_ to that locker before Slade’s Tekno-bolt had vaporized such a huge section of the wall. Sure, he’d gotten rid of that weird Radam construct, and the rest of the Spider-crabs that had been guarding it, but there probably _had_ been an easier way for him to do it. No one human would be able to get into that section of the Ring without an EVA suit and a way to override the door-controls, but the same wouldn’t hold true for any of the Radam that tried to start this whole debacle over again.

He was going to have to bring that up in his written report, since he wasn’t going to risk getting into the logistics of Slade’s battles with the Radam over a channel he could only keep open for a short time.

"I guess that makes sense," Star said, looking back down at Saber.

"If that’s all you wanted to ask me about, I’m going to go turn in now," he said; it was a half-truth, really; not that he was going to tell _them_ that. "It’s been a long day."

"All right," Star said, giving him a warm smile. "Have a good night’s sleep, Balzac. And, thank you for everything you did today."

"No problem," he said, turning and heading down the corridor that would lead him to the room he had been assigned.

He needed to get his comm. setup prepared, and he needed to get his preliminary report straight in his head before he spoke with General Gault for the first time since he’d been installed in the Space Knight Command Center. Then, since today _had_ been one of the most trying days he’d had in a long time, he was going to shuck his boots and jacket, then fall into bed and _sleep_.

Making his way back to his room at last, yawning widely as he punched in the code to open his door, he scratched at his thick, scruffy beard. He hated the damned thing; wished he could shave it, but it served the purpose of making him look like the man in his photo I.D. The man who had never really existed in the first place, if what he’d been told by the AEM’s Intelligence Network had been true. He didn’t know if it was, since there were levels of secrecy that even _he_ wasn’t privy to at this point, but then he didn’t really care either.

It was convenient for his purposes that the picture in the I.D. looked so much like him, so he was going to use it until he fulfilled his mission, and then discard it like he did everything that no longer served a purpose; he’d be _particularly_ pleased to get rid of the beard.

Settling back into his room, he began setting up his transmitter and carefully preparing his initial report to General Gault. Things had _definitely_ been more interesting than he had originally planned, and on top of that he had gotten a great deal of usable footage of both Teknomen in battle as well as Saber’s actual transformation. The latter would probably provoke a bit more interest than the former, but both of them had their importance in the grand scheme of things.

In either case, what he had to focus on now was delivering his preliminary report.

"This is Balzac," he said, thinking back on the events of the day. "It was a good thing I went along with the Space Knights on an assignment today. As it turned out, the Earth was spared the loss of one of its prize soldiers thanks to me." Seeing Saber take that Spider-crab claw to the shoulder had shown him a lot of what he’d needed to know about the kid’s character. "Unfortunately, I haven’t found out the secret of those twins’ powers."

He shut down the transmitter after that; no point in risking discovery if you didn’t have to. After all, it was only a matter of time until he completed his mission. He _always_ completed his mission.


	9. Convoy

When he regained awareness again, opening his eyes and turning his attention toward the teknopod that held the youngest of his brothers, the first thing that Spear took notice of was the fact that it was still glowing. Still the healthy, steady green that meant that the Teknoman inside was still viable. Spear was glad for it; he didn’t want to lose even a single one of his siblings, not after the way the twins had been taken from him.

_ [Sam? Are you feeling better now?] _

_ [Sam? Who’s that?] _ his little brother asked, sounding so hopelessly confused that Spear couldn’t help but feel sorry for asking in the first place. _[And who- who are_ you _?]_

_ [I’m sorry,] _ Spear said quickly. _[I thought you were someone I knew.]_

Closing the link between them before he could inadvertently let something slip, Spear reached out for the one person that he knew would be able to explain to him just what was happening to his youngest brother.

_ [Lord Darkon? Is something happening to Sam?] _

_ [Sam?]  _ the ancient Warlord paused, and Spear got the impression of swift mental activity, as if he was considering his response; at least considering _something_. _[Ah, yes; the youngest of your little clan. He is being prepared to take the final step into becoming a Teknoman. A proper one, you understand; nothing like those traitor twins we’ve been dealing with.]_

_ [My younger brothers,] _ he mused, not particularly happy about hearing any of his family members being described that way, but unable to deny the truth of what his Warlord was saying. _[Would you mind if I tried to persuade them to come back, my Lord? I think I might be able to get through to them.]_

_ [As you will, Spear,] _ Lord Darkon said, though he didn’t seem particularly sanguine about the idea. _[Though I rather doubt that they will be willing to listen to you, particularly after the way they killed Gunnar.]_

_ [Fritz is  _ dead _?]_ he repeated, his eyes opening wide in shock.

_ [Yes. He was killed by the elder of the traitor twins; the one with the green eyes.] _

_ [ _ Ness _killed Fritz?]_ he blinked in surprise. _[I wonder how Cain feels about that; he and Fritz were nearly as close as he and Ness are. Even though they didn’t get to see each other quite so often.]_

They’d have been seeing a lot more of each other, considering that he and Kathy were going to be getting married. Fritz would have been their brother-in-law, and there was no way that he wouldn’t have taken shameless advantage of that fact. But now Fritz was dead, Kathy was somewhere he hadn’t managed to spot yet, and he was dealing with the knowledge that one of his own little brothers had killed one of their closest friends.

What could have happened to them, that they would have even _considered_ such a horrible thing?

_ [I’ll still do my best to convince them, my Lord,] _ he said, feeling a bit shaken by the revelation, but no less determined to carry through with his plans. _[But thank you for telling me this. It’s… important information.]_

_ [Yes; I should think so. Go back to sleep now, Spear,] _ Lord Darkon’s command was unmistakable, and Spear found his body settling back down into the torpor he had only recently escaped from. _[I will awaken you when the time comes.]_

Spear’s last conscious thought before sleep took him was to wonder just how he was going to handle his younger brothers; if Ness had been willing to kill _Fritz_ , what might that mean for him?

1101010001

When he woke up, staring at the ceiling of the Space Knights’ infirmary, Saber wondered just how he had managed to catch a Spider-crab claw in his _torso_ when all he’d been aiming to do was bat the thing aside. Clearly, he hadn’t quite planned that so well; then again, there hadn’t really been much time for _planning_ at all, just actions and the consequences that came with them. His arm and upper-chest were still a bit tender at the moment, so he tried not to move much.

It was hard, though, since the skin in that area was starting to itch slightly.

The sight of one of the doctors, coming up to him with a look of businesslike neutrality that was replaced with one of honest surprise when he saw Saber looking at him, drew a small smile from him.

"You’re awake?" the doctor wondered aloud, blinking. "Well, I suppose you wouldn’t have your eyes open if you weren’t. How are you feeling?"

"Better than I did," he said, offering a small smile.

"Yes, I’d imagine so," the doctor said, smiling back at him. "Well, if you’ll just hold still while I remove your bandages, you’ll be free to go. I swear, you and your brother have the most amazing recovery-rates I’ve seen in my entire career."

Something else that the Radam could be thanked, or blamed, for again then. "Thanks. I was starting to get a bit antsy, staying in this bed for so long. Bad memories and all," he said, as the doctor came over to his bed.

Nodding with an understanding expression, the doctor looked down at him for a moment as if he was a particularly interesting medical case he had been tasked to solve. When the doctor pulled back his blanket and began to remove the bandages wrapped around the top of his right arm, Saber twitched a bit.

"Wait," he laughed as the man’s fingers probed the sensitized skin under the bandage. "That tickles."

"Ah," the doctor said, with a soft chuckle of his own. "I do apologize, then. I just wanted to get a closer examination of your shoulder. You really are a remarkable young man; I don’t know of any other person who would have recovered from this kind of an injury with the speed you have."

"Yeah, I’m funny that way."

"You are _impressive_ that way," the doctor corrected gently. "And you’re free to go now, Saber."

"Thanks," he said, levering himself up and out of bed, pausing a bit when his newly-healed shoulder complained a bit, but he was soon back on his feet nonetheless. "I’ll just get out of your hair now."

"Try not to make a habit of ending up here, Saber," the doctor said, a wry smile on his face. "Your brother was in and out of here ever since he woke up this morning. I finally managed to get him to leave, but I had to threaten to sedate him and put _him_ in one of the beds just to get some peace to work on you."

"I’ll try to keep that in mind," he said with a laugh. _[Brother, have you been pestering the medics while I was out?]_

_ [Are you trying to tell me that  _ you _wouldn’t have done the same if it was me in that situation?]_ Slade asked, and he could sense that his brother was somewhere very close by.

_ [No; I’m just saying that  _ I _would have been a bit more discreet about things, brother.]_

Judging from what the doctor had said about his older twin’s proclivities during the time he’d been incapacitated, he suspected that Slade was waiting for him just outside the door to the infirmary. When he walked through said door, he found that his brother was indeed waiting for him there. There was an expression of profound relief on his brother’s face, and Saber smiled along with him.

"Nice to see you miss me when I’m gone, brother."

"It’s nice to have you _back_ again, Saber," Slade said softly, smile still on his face. "I’ve been waiting for you to get up so we could go have breakfast together."

"Ah, so it _wasn’t_ just the pleasure of my company you were hoping to have again, you wanted me up so _you_ could eat," he turned a sidelong smirk on Slade. "You’re not making me feel very welcome here, brother."

_ [You’re such a brat, _ Cain _.]_ Slade said, giving him a Look.

Saber laughed; it’d been such a long time since he’d heard that name, and it felt even longer since he’d had it applied to him. It was good to know that, no matter what happened to the two of them, he and Slade would always be essentially themselves. Slade, a smile breaking out over his face, laughed along with him as they walked.

They both fell silent before they reached the cafeteria, though, not wanting to be bothered by people who would likely be curious about their good humor. Taking their usual table at the far end of the room, away from where the larger groups of Space Knights tended to settle. Setting down their trays, laden with all of the foods they liked, Saber and Slade began to eat with their usual gusto.

Once their meal was finished, Slade took their trays back over to the counter and deposited them and their load of used dishes into the pile with all of the others that were due to be washed. After that, with nothing else to keep them there, they left the cafeteria; their blast-furnace metabolism already going to work on their latest meal.

"What would you say to a bit of sparring, brother?" Saber asked suddenly, prompting a surprised blink from Slade.

"What brought _this_ on?"

"Just thought it’d be nice to test my skills against someone who’s _not_ honestly trying to kill me," Saber said, offering a one-shouldered shrug. _[Besides, it’ll be kind of like the times when we all used to free-spar. I kind of miss that.]_

_ [There used to be a lot more of us  _ to _free-spar,]_ Slade said, looking morosely down at the ground. "I guess; it’d be nice to get in some practice before we end up having to fight for real again."

"That, too," Saber said, putting a hand on Slade’s shoulder as the both of them continued on their way through the corridor.

Just as they were about to start heading back to their rooms to get ready, though, Mac intercepted them.

"Ah, I thought I might find you lads out here somewhere," the rotund man said, with a somewhat jovial air. "The Blue Earth’s in the shop again, and I was wondering if you lads would lend me a hand painting her?"

"Sure," Slade said, before he could make any kind of response, one way or another, on the matter.

_ [I thought we were going to take some time for a free-spar, brother,] _ he said, trying not to sound like he was too annoyed, even though he _had_ kind of been looking forward to it. Like he’d told Slade, it’d been too long since they had done anything like that.

_ [Mac asked us to help,] _ Slade said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. _[And, it kind of feels like we owe him something, you know? I don’t think the Blue Earth got into_ nearly _as many scraps as she has before we showed up.]_

_ [You might just be right about that, brother,] _ he said, smiling softly as the three of them turned and headed for the service-hangar where the Blue Earth underwent her routine maintenance, and her swiftly-becoming-routine combat repairs. _[So, is this some sort of Equivalent Exchange, or more like that old saw ‘treat your ship like a lady, and she’ll always bring you home’?]_

_ [Something like that,] _ Slade said, turning to wink at him, just out of Mac’s line of sight.

When they finally arrived in the service-hangar, Saber saw that there had already been scaffolding set up by the side of the Blue Earth that they were going to be working on. He also saw that there were three paint-sprayers, and three facemasks to go with them. The three of them climbed up onto the scaffolding, and Mac offered them a bit of help with the masks and sprayers.

He accepted it gladly; not just for the sake of his and Slade’s cover, but because it’d been awhile since he’d used these things at all.

1110010001

They’d been working on the Blue Earth for some indiscriminate time or other, and the fumes were starting to make the inside of his nose itch. Of course, given that it was this bad for _him_ , he didn’t want to think of how bad it must have been for Saber. For some reason, both of them were allergic to the fumes from the specific type of paint used on spaceship hulls, but it only really seemed to _affect_ either of them when the paints were being applied with a sprayer.

Looking over at Saber to see how his brother was doing, he found that his brother was twitching his nose slightly, the way he always did when he needed to sneeze but didn’t particularly _want_ to.

"This old boat seems to be sustaining a lot more damage since you lads joined the crew," Mac said, and Slade couldn’t quite tell if he was just thinking aloud or not. "She seems to be spending most of her time in the shop now."

"Stop complaining so much, Mac," he said, though he _did_ understand the sentiment. "We’ve all got a job to do around here."

Just as he finished that sentence, Saber sneezed three times in quick succession. He never seemed to be able to sneeze just _once_ , it always seemed to be two or three times. There were even occasions, though they _were_ extremely rare, when his brother would actually sneeze four times in a row. And anytime he did that, it was always a struggle for Slade not to laugh.

"You all right up there, Saber my lad?"

"Fine," Saber called back, his hand still on his mask from tipping it up. "I guess I must have just gotten a healthy lung-full," another double-sneeze. "There."

"Well, we’re going to be done here pretty soon," Mac said, sounding a bit concerned. "You think you can handle this until then?"

"I’m sure I’ll be all right," Saber said, grinning down at Mac as he flipped his facemask back down. "Thanks for your concern, though."

They worked like that for a couple more minutes, before Tina’s voice over the comm. interrupted them: "Attention. Attention, Space Knights: report on the double to Comm. One for a briefing from Commander Jamison."

"Not again," Mac groused. "That man’s got more briefings than the sun’s got spots."

_ [Well, brother, I guess we’re not going to be doing any free-sparring today,] _ Saber said.

_ [I guess not,] _ he sighed. _[Sorry; I guess I just got a little sidetracked.]_

The three of them climbed down from the scaffolding, and he and Saber handed their sprayers and facemasks to Mac and then dashed out of the room. Mac would be along soon enough, but he in particular was eager to find out just what the Commander wanted to brief them on. This was the first time he hadn’t been called somewhere by the general-alert, so it was already a day of firsts.

He couldn’t shake the feeling, though, that this wasn’t going to be a particularly good day for them; probably the voice of experience speaking.

He and Saber met up with Star, Ringo, and Maggie in the corridors leading to the conference room, and the two groups blended easily into one.

"So," Saber asked, as they all continued on their way toward the conference room. "Anyone have any idea what _this_ is all about?"

Before any of their fellow Space Knights could answer that question, though, they were all standing before the doors leading into the main room of the Command Center; or Comm. One, as he’d heard Tina say. Filing inside, the two lines of Space Knights divided down the middle to settle into a line in front of the huge screen that made up the far wall. Taking his place next to Saber, Slade patted his brother’s right shoulder and was rewarded with a small smile.

Commander Jamison, standing at the forefront of the room the same way he’d done last time, waited calmly for them all to settle into place.

"What’s the flying parade all about?" Ringo asked, as the Commander activated the screen, displaying a large number of ships, all flying in formation; he quickly recognized them as Beta transports, and judging from the way Saber discreetly squeezed his hand he did too, but neither of them were going to say anything.

They both still had a role to play, after all.

"That is the convoy from Io," the Commander said. "One of Jupiter’s moons," he added, with an aside glance to him and Saber. "Twelve Beta transports, carrying supplies vital to our defense: food, metal ore, and something that may prove even more valuable."

"Wait, Commander, those are _Betas_ out there?" Star asked, and he quickly covered a wince as he realized just what the problem was that she had seen. "Those ships are designed for docking up on the Space Ring, not for coming down here and landing on the _planet_."

"If those ships try a belly-landing on Earth, we could end up with a crater big enough for the Moon and then some," Mac groused, clearly annoyed.

"Unfortunately, Mac, we haven’t any choice now," the Commander said in his usual tone. "They took off from their development base on Io before the Space Ring was occupied by the invaders. We informed them of the risk they were running, but they decided to proceed, regardless. Not surprising, considering the convoy is commanded by Dr. Silas Random; one of the most determined, courageous men I’ve ever known."

The image of the convoy flickered as the Commander spoke about Dr. Random, then was replaced by the photo of a man; Slade tried not to see anything familiar about him, but he had that kind of a face- ruthlessly, almost viciously, Slade slammed his mental impressions into a tungsten box, welded it shut, and hurled it into the deepest, darkest pit he could find. He _wasn’t_ going to do this to himself.

"Sir, exactly how are the _Space Knights_ involved in this?" he asked, not having seen the connection, or the necessity of their presence; sure, this was good information to have, but they could have just as easily been informed of this later.

The Commander, who he now saw was wearing a pair of dark, rimless wraparound glasses, turned to look at them over his left shoulder. "People, your orders for this mission have been issued by the President himself: rendezvous with the convoy and secure its cargo at all costs. In fact, your _only_ objective is to see that those supplies make it down to the planet. Your lives, and the lives of the transport crews, are to be considered _expendable_."

He didn’t know quite how to interpret the emphasis that the Commander placed on that last word, but in a more emotional person, he would have said it was disapproval.

"Of _course_ ," Saber groused. "Tell me, is _anyone_ here surprised about that? Show of hands?"

Needless to say, no one raised theirs, but Saber’s own raised eyebrow _did_ make him have to bite back a smirk.

"Move out," was all the Commander said in response; the usual affirmative from the Space Knights was a bit more subdued than it had been in the past, of course.

Turning to leave the comm. room with his brother, Star, and Ringo, Slade sighed. He didn’t like being thought of as just some toy soldier, to be wound up and pointed at whatever it was that the Allied Earth Military, or anyone else for that matter, wanted dead at the moment. And, from the almost palpable annoyance that was radiating off of Saber at present, he felt just the same.

As the four of them made for the Blue Earth’s hangar, he couldn’t help the momentary amusement that came at the thought of Mac’s probable feelings on the matter. Here he’d just finished getting the ship all patched up and painted, and she was being sent right back into the field again. That was kind of funny, if you had a morbid sense of humor, anyway.

"Well, since you boys are probably going to end up having to transform before all of this is over, and since we don’t exactly have time to stop off in the cafeteria and let you stuff your faces, I _guess_ I can let you have those extra rations I laid in."

Those rations had been for them in the first place, given the high-calorie diets that they had both been placed on when the nature of their powers had been determined to depend on their own energy reserves.

"Thank you _so_ much, Ringo," Saber said, with airily mocking, overblown gratitude. "I’m _so_ glad to have you thinking about me and my dearest big brother when we’re going to be going out into the big, bad ‘verse with you." Saber batted his eyelashes, and Ringo and Star both burst out laughing.

"Nice comeback, Saber," Ringo said, grinning as they all made it up to the Blue Earth’s pre-launch vehicle and quickly boarded the ship.

While Ringo took care of the preliminaries, he and Saber both headed for the aft storage-section and grabbed a pair of the prepared meal boxes stored there. Eating even as they made their way back to their seats, he handed Saber his empty container and glanced over as his brother stowed them away.

"You boys all finished?" Ringo asked, not waiting for a response. "Good. Star, signal the convoy our rendezvous-point in the asteroid belt. And _please_ don’t forget to transmit in some sort of code; I’d prefer not to have a bunch of Spider-crabs showing up to crash our party. That’s really something I could do without."

"You know, Ringo, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were _nervous_ ," he said, as Saber snickered.

"Do you want me to come over there and give you a hug?" Saber asked, grinning; Ringo ignored him.

"The convoy’s responding," Star said, sounding concerned. "But on an open channel, and they’re _not_ transmitting in code."

That wiped the smile right off of both his _and_ Saber’s faces. " _What_?" the both of them demanded, just as the Blue Earth launched. That didn’t make sense; anyone who had been in contact with Earth for even a _short_ time would know about the Radam, and just how dangerous they were.

No one could be so careless by accident; there was something more going on than they knew about, and he was going to find out what it was. A quick glance over at Saber confirmed that his brother had seen the same trend he had, and knew it for what it was. Clasping his younger twin’s hand, Slade squeezed tightly.

000100100

No matter how many times he was forced to send his Space Knights into danger, it had never truly became easy. That was why he had worn his visor, to keep his Space Knights from knowing just how much he had detested the wording used and the orders he had had to deliver. His Space Knights were _not_ expendable, not one of them could be so easily replaced as the orders he had received had so clearly implied.

Still, it was his duty as their commander to pass on the orders that he was given, and if he resisted too much he would run the risk of losing his command. It was not likely that his replacement, whoever they appointed, would be so moral as to think of his Space Knights as people rather than just one more exploitable asset to be used as the Allied Earth Military saw fit. Particularly Slade and Saber, who were the most vulnerable to exploitation by the AEM.

However, the thoughts of what his Space Knights might be doing were now interspersed with the memories of his old friend Silas.

He had always been one for lost causes; the lonelier and the more hopeless the better, to his way of thinking. He could still clearly remember how passionately Silas had argued against the initial formation of the Allied Earth Military, citing the fact that the Generals would be given unchecked power over the people they were going to be assigned to protect; of course, by then it had been too late to contest such a drastic reorganization of the Earth’s various militaries. Even _he_ had bowed to cold necessity at that point; he’d seen too much strife caused by the entanglements inherent in the old way of doing things.

Silas had looked at him when the decision was announced, just a simple look, but the expression on his old friend’s face had been one that he would never forget, not as long as he lived. Silas had obviously seen it as a deep, personal betrayal; a betrayal so deeply personal that it had driven him to abandon not only his home planet, but his own family. He had left for Io not soon after the announcement of the Allied Earth Military’s formation had been made.

Hamilton had gone to meet him at the launch-site, as any old friend wold have, but Silas had been determined to leave. He had stated that the formation of the AEM had sealed Earth’s fate; that there was no future for the Earth, and he was going to found a new colony on Io. It was likely to have taken a great deal of work, terraforming such a volatile, volcanic moon as that one, but then Silas had never been one to take the simple path.

Hamilton often doubted that Silas would know what to do with himself if he wasn’t struggling against _something_ ; he often wondered what Silas would have done if he had known about the formation of the Space Knights, and if he could have persuaded his old friend to join them. Things between them would have likely been different; still, there was nothing to do now but look to the future. The past was unchangeable, he knew that better than most.

01010001011

As the Blue Earth passed under the Space Ring, Ringo continued to check the scopes.

"So far, so good," he said, relieved. "No bandits on _my_ screen; how about you, Star, your screen still clear?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He sighed in relief. "They must not have picked up on the convoy’s un-coded transmission. Looks like we lucked out; they must’ve been tuning into the Salsa station."

" _Very_ funny," Star said, in a tone that meant she was probably rolling her eyes at him.

"From what I’ve read about Dr. Random, he’s not the type to _make_ mistakes like this," Slade said, sounding suspicious. "You ask me, it’s almost like he _wants_ them to know what we’re up to."

"What do you mean by _that_ Slade?" he asked.

"My brother’s saying that this seems too good to be true, so it probably is," Saber answered, turning to look back over his shoulder.

"Don’t you think you boys are taking healthy skepticism just a _little_ too far?" he asked, taking another bite of his chocolate bar.

"Once bitten, twice shy," Saber retorted. "Or, have you already forgotten about the alleged survivors on the Space Ring, and all the trouble that we got into from _that_?"

Ouch; point to Saber for that one, since Slade was _still_ dealing with the aftermath of Gunnar’s little stunt. A ping on the sensors let him know that he had more important things to think about than Saber’s, or either of the Wonder Twins’ for that matter, maybe-accurate predictions of doom. They were also moving toward the asteroid belt now, which meant that he’d have to keep an eye out for the, admittedly rare, stray asteroid.

"Convoy One, open your docking bay, please," he said, activating the retro-thrusters and matching speed with the huge, bulky Beta in front of him.

"Welcome, Blue Earth," Convoy One transmitted back. "You’re cleared for docking."

Easing his ship into the Beta’s docking-bay, Ringo began the shut-down sequence as the docking-bay doors closed and sealed behind them. By the time they had made it out to the boarding ramp, the docking-bay was filled with new oxygen, and they could all be on their way out of the ship. He was glad for it; too long with the Wonder Twins and their rampant paranoia could even make _him_ start to believe that they were right.

Still, they’d been right once, so he’d at least keep his eyes open.

"The name’s Ringo, sir," he said, offering a salute to the man standing before them; Dr. Silas Random, he knew the man from the photo the Commander had shown them back at the Command Center.

"I’m Star," his fellow Space Knight, and crack navigator, said.

About the only ones who _weren’t_ following proper protocol were the newest members of their team. "Boys," he chided, speaking softly over his shoulder to them; neither of them responded, though they _did_ turn to look at each other briefly, but they were only doing the twin thing again. "These kids here are Slade and Saber, Doctor," he said, gesturing to the twins in turn as he named them. "Don’t mind them; they’re still kind of new to the team, and their manners aren’t really the best."

0100100100

"Well, not being a military man, I prefer a handshake to a salute," he responded, with a gentle chuckle as he stepped forward to do just that. "I hope you don’t mind. Welcome," he finished, shaking Star’s hand.

He’d recognized Ulysses Carter’s twin sons once he’d gotten a clear glimpse of their faces, but that didn’t explain why they were using those strange names. Nor did it explain the scars he could see above and below Ness’ left eye, or the fact that Cain’s eyes had changed their shade so drastically. Silas wondered what had happened to them, but he wasn’t going to speak of it in front of military-adjuncts like those other two.

"Am I right in assuming that you’re the only one on this ship, sir?" Star asked.

"Yes; completely alone," he confirmed. "Each one of these transports is being staffed by a single crew member. But don’t look so worried," he said, turning to smile at them over his left shoulder. "That doesn’t mean you won’t be well looked-after. For instance, how about a nice, hot cup of tea?"

Leading them deeper into the ship, Silas looked back at Ness and Cain, taking a long moment to assess them while the two military-adjuncts fell back to speak among themselves. He began to see things that he had been unable to discern while he had been seeing them merely at rest. Their stances were stiffer, their postures more closed-off, than the photos that Ulysses had showed him.

They moved almost as one entity, walking close enough that their shoulders almost brushed against one another, even in the relatively wide space of the shipboard corridor. What told the real story, however, was their eyes: neither Ness nor Cain’s eyes rested for more than a few moments on any one object, instead quickly roving to take in every part of their surroundings almost at once. It was clear that they had both been though a terrible experience to make them so hyperalert to any potential, or imagined, threats.

The question still remained, however, just what that experience had actually been. It wasn’t likely to be connected to those military-adjuncts he’d just met, since the twins’ clearly habitual wariness actually seemed to _decrease_ around them, even if only by the smallest fraction. Something else, then; likely several somethings, considering what he’d heard of the invasion.

Turning his attention forward, just before the twins’ ever-roving eyes could fall on _him_ , Silas gratefully made his way into the ship’s lounge. Quickly setting about preparing a pot of soothing chamomile tea, since it would do this particular crew a great deal of good, he gathered the cups and saucers that they would be using while he waited for the tea to heat up.

Once it had boiled, he took the teabags he had gathered up, set them each in one of the five teacups in front of his various guests, and began to pour the hot water in.

"Here; you’ll want to let it steep for a bit. Sorry for transmitting on an open channel," he said, to the clear surprise of Ulysses’ sons and the military-adjuncts they were traveling with. "I know it’s risky."

"That’s putting it mildly, doctor," Ness said, his closed eyes highlighting his scars for a long moment.

"If the Radam had managed to intercept that transmission of yours, there would be Spider-crabs swarming you and the rest of your people by now," Cain said, fixing him with a sharp look.

"It couldn’t be helped, I’m afraid," he said, pouring the twins’ tea and setting their cups back down in front of them. "We’ve been having radio trouble. You see, ever since we passed through the Van Allen belts, we lost the use of our coded frequencies."

"The Van Allen belts, huh?" Ness echoed, though he didn’t seem to believe it, and clearly neither did Cain. "On every radio in the convoy?"

"Yes, strangely enough," he said, looking down for a moment as he sipped his tea.

He could still feel the intense scrutiny that the twins were leveling at him, and he smiled softly. Those two were indeed the sons of Ulysses Carter; they took nothing at face-value, and were clearly in pursuit of whatever deeper truth they might find here. And, they just might find it at that.

Once the tea had been finished at last, he stood up. "How would you like me to show you what we’re bringing to Earth?"

"All right," the blond pilot, Ringo he recalled, said after looking to his colleague and Ulysses’ sons. "I’d say we could all use a bit of a field trip."

"Right this way, then," he said, smiling as he lead them all out of the lounge and down into the storage section. The small greenhouse that had been built inside this transport of his had been placed farther back, so that it could draw power more directly from the generators that supplied the engines. None of them seemed particularly interested in the ores that he was carrying, which fit since none of them were miners or metalworkers of any stripe, so they by-passed those rather quickly.

"Though we cultivated these plants on Io, they should thrive on Earth," he said proudly, leading them into the greenhouse where the plants he and his people, the colonists of Io, had been tending to for so very long were stored. "In time, they’ll produce enough to feed millions of people."

"Hey Doc, what’s in that weird container up there?" Ringo asked, as they moved closer to the rear of the ship.

"That, is the ‘Doomsday Device’," he said. "A little surprise we developed in our laboratories."

"A surprise?" Ness echoed, sounding curious, but also slightly more wary than he already had been. "For the Radam? Or us?"

"It _could_ prove to be of major significance in winning this war," he said; he didn’t like lying to them that way, but he was hardly going to speak freely in front of a pair of military-adjuncts.

"The Commander hinted you had something big on board," Ringo said. "What is it, exactly?"

"For obvious reasons, it’s classified," he said, turning to speak more directly to the sons of his old colleague, and the friend he wished he’d stayed in closer contact with. "You’ll just have to trust me on this," he said, placing his hands on Ness and Cain’s right shoulders.

The eyes of the twins both flared briefly in surprise, and he thought for a moment that he had seen a flicker of something on both their foreheads. There wasn’t time to investigate it, however; there were many things that he had to do before they reached the Earth. Foremost among them was to draw down the very danger that Cain had been so adamant about stating; to draw it down on _his_ head, and his alone.

"Well, that’s all I have to show you," he said, turning to smile at the entire group that had come out here to assist him with this mission of his. "If you want, you can all go back to the lounge and wait; it’s all going to be rather boring from here on out, I’m afraid."

"All right," Ringo, who seemed to be acting as the groups spokesman, said.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Dr. Random," Star said, smiling kindly.

"You’re quite welcome," he said, as he fell into step beside their group. "There’s more tea, if you want it. And I even have tea cakes, if any of you feel like something sweet."

"Thanks," Ringo said, with a nod.

0101001000

Dr. Random split off from them once they had reached the lounge, continuing on to the cockpit and its transmitter equipment while they let themselves into the glassed-in room. As much as he hated to admit it, the Wonder Twins and their rampant paranoia might have just scored another one.

"Convoy One to all transports: remember, I have the D-Device aboard. Should we meet the enemy, it is essential that _this_ ship get through!"

"I sure wish he’d stop transmitting on an open channel," Ringo groused, closing his eyes briefly as he leaned his head back against the headrest of the small, pale pink sofa he and Star were sitting on. Naturally, the Wonder Twins were standing side-by-side, staring stoically out the single window.

"His radio’s damaged," Star said, trying to be reasonable. "He has no choice."

"I don’t know," he said, still not quite convinced. "Something about this Random guy strikes me funny. He’s way too calm and collected for the situation." Particularly considering the fact that there was basically a big, fat target on his ship, and the Radam would be all too eager to snap it up if they found out about it. "I’m not crazy about tea, either, come to think of it."

"Is _that_ what you’re basing your suspicions on?" Star asked, clearly amused.

"And this ‘ _D-Device_ ’; if it’s so damned important, how come we’ve never even been briefed about it, and come to think of it-"

"Help me out here, you two, Ringo’s getting paranoid again."

"Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they _aren’t_ out to get you," Saber said, turning to look at them over his right shoulder.

"You weren’t supposed to _encourage_ him, Saber," Star said, sounding mildly annoyed.

Just then, though, something big, heavy, and likely affiliated with the Radam, slammed into the ship. They were almost knocked off their feet, but the Wonder Twins moved in quickly to support them. Ringo wasn’t sure if he should be happy to have his suspicions vindicated, or pissed that they had been endangered by some guy’s need to prove he could outrun the Radam if he just hoped for it, or whatever Dr. Random had been thinking when he had decided to keep transmitting on that open, un-coded channel of his.

"Oh, what a surprise; they found us," he groused, as Saber let go of his shoulder.

"Get to the docking-bay!" Star exclaimed. "We have to launch the Blue Earth!"

"Open the doors, Doc, we’re outta here," he shouted, as they passed the man on their way out.

They ran; the Wonder Twins overtook them without too much effort, and they all ran hell-bent-for-leather down the corridors and then right back up the boarding-ramp. He was in the pilot’s seat just a few seconds after the twins had settled themselves into their own seats, and he was already starting the engines before the doors had even opened. Even though he wasn’t too fond of the guy, Dr. Random had at least let them out in time.

He at least had to give the man that.

1010100111

When the Blue Earth had made its way out of his docking-bay, firing it’s forward laser-cannons into the massive swarm of Spider-crabs that Cain had predicted would come for them all if he continued with his plan, Silas glared fiercely at the creatures. He didn’t know just who the Radam were, or what they wanted, but that was _his_ planet they were invading and these were his people they were attacking.

He _wouldn’t_ let that stand.

This was indeed a swarm, just the way that Cain had predicted it would be, and now all he needed was to get those creatures to focus on him. He would ensure that all of his people got back to Earth safely, even if he had to die doing it. That was the true purpose of the D-Device, and also the reason that he had been so quick to broadcast its location: if the Radam wanted something to chase, then he would make sure it was him.

When a pair of strange lights, one bright blue and one bright green, came shooting out of the Blue Earth and then turned to engage the swarm of Spider-crabs that seemed to be growing increasingly vast by the second, Silas was puzzled. When the lights coalesced into a pair of armored figures, one white with red patches and one black with the same, he wondered if they could be some new weapon developed by the AEM.

Then, thinking back to the people that he had seen aboard the Blue Earth, he wondered if his old friend Hamilton Jamison, that he’d seen last as a Lieutenant in the AEM, had begun to dabble in some kind of bio-technological enhancement process. He would have been disappointed to hear of it, but he would hardly put it past the AEM to do such things. Even when they _weren’t_ in the midst of a war, those kinds of people could never be trusted to be truly ethical.

When he saw again the flares of light, both in the distinct colors that he had seen before: green for the white figure, and blue for the black one, he remembered just where he had seen those very colors not so much earlier.

"Ness? Cain?"

Indeed, given the way they moved, the way they seemed to anticipate each and every move that the other would make, and their clear concern for one another in the pitched battle that was taking place all around them, it could hardly be anyone _other_ than the twins. That explained their wariness; if they were expected to go into battle against these kinds of odds at a moment’s notice, they could hardly be expected to be able to relax properly.

The twins clearly outmatched the Spider-crabs in one-on-one combat, destroying them with the ease of what was clearly long practice, but this swarm would likely be enough to overwhelm even them and whatever strange power they had brought to bear. It still fell to him to save his people. However, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t grateful for help that was freely given.

"Thank you, boys," he said quietly, then activated his ship’s radio and turned his attention to the next phase of his plan. "The D-Device _must_ get through!" he shouted, making sure to sound as if he was on the verge of panic, as he broke formation with the others and moved off on his own.

The distinctive sound of a coded message alert broke into his concentration, and he looked down as the inset screen displayed the status of the message. It was double-encoded, and as his radio decrypted it, he wondered for a moment just who it was.

"This is a coded frequency, I’m surprised you were able to receive it."

Smiling for his old friend Hamilton, Silas told the story he had concocted: "Our radios seem to be working fine, now; one of the explosions must have jogged the circuits."

"You can’t fool me, Silas, I know what you’re planning. And I have to say, I’m glad to see you helping the Allied Earth Military this time."

"What?" He had to laugh. "You must be mad, if you believe I’m doing this for that bunch of militaristic megalomaniacs."

"Tell me why, then," Hamilton said.

"You don’t have to wear a uniform to be a patriot, Jamison," he said, looking out at the Earth, surrounded by the Space Ring; he saw it through a swarm of Spider-crabs, but they were almost secondary to him now. "I’m doing this for the Earth."

11010100111

Landing the Teknobot on Dr. Random’s ship, since it was the one the Radam were concentrating on, and the D-Device was obviously important to the war effort in some way, Slade lead Saber into the ship through a wide hole that one of the Spider-crabs had torn in the hull and ordered the Teknobot to follow them. Raising his teknolance as another of the swarming legions of Spider-crabs came into his line of sight, he bisected the thing and lead Saber as they dove through the closing air lock doors just before they closed.

Falling back a bit so he and Saber could run side-by-side down the corridor, Slade kept a watch out for any more Spider-crabs that might come after them. They encountered a few more on the way to the cockpit; he didn’t bother to count them since he and Saber dealt with them as soon as they spotted the monsters, but he was fairly sure it was less than ten. As they cleared the last obstacle that stood between them and the cockpit, yet another Spider-crab, he and Saber raced over to the damaged chair where Dr. Random was still sitting as he heard the man moaning.

"Dr. Random!" he exclaimed. "Dr. Random, are you all right?"

"No, boys, I’m very far from all right," Dr. Random said weakly, and Slade noticed then that his shirt was soaked with blood, blood that was running down his torso to pool in his lap.

"Well have you out of here in just a second, sir," he said; trying to offset the knowledge that they were too late. _Again._ That _he_ was too late to do anything but watch, again.

"Don’t bother," Dr. Random grunted. "Too late for that." Slade closed his eyes in sheer, frustrated helplessness. "But there is something that you boys must do: you’ve got to pilot this transport and make sure she makes it safely through the Earth’s atmosphere. The friction of reentry will set off an explosive device I’ve planted onboard her."

"You’re going to destroy the ship, and all the Spider-crabs along with her," Saber said, sounding like he would have been approving if he hadn’t been so horrified.

" _All_ of them is being quite optimistic, but at least a good number," Dr. Random smiled weakly. "You have to admit, my little invitation seems to have provoked quite a response."

"So, all of that talk about a D-Device was just bait, to lure the Spider-crabs to you," he said, feeling stricken, but still having to respect Dr. Random’s dedication.

"You wanted to make sure that the rest of the convoy made it down to Earth, so you gave the Radam enough information to decide that _you_ were the one they should be focusing on," Saber said, and Slade knew that his brother was trying to distance himself from the horror that they were both feeling right now by immersing his mind in tactical considerations.

"Please, take this for me," Dr. Random said, unfastening the gold bracelet that he had been wearing on his right wrist and handing it over to him. "I’m tired," he muttered, his eyes falling closed. "So tired."

Slade took it, enfolding it within his armored right hand, and sighed. This shouldn’t have happened; he was supposed to be better than this, he was a _Teknoman_ for god’s sake, and yet all he could do now was watch as Dr. Random slowly bled to death in front of them. It hurt; for all his power, he couldn’t manage to save someone who was right in front of him. It wasn’t fair.

_ Then again, when has fairness ever been part of the equation in my life? _ He mused bitterly. Looking over at Saber, just as the shriek of a Spider-crab echoed through the lonely, decimated cockpit of the damaged transport. He watched tiredly as his little brother killed the thing. _Not since the Argos; not since the_ Radam _,_ he corrected himself. _Things haven’t been fair since we met them._

Since then, he’d had to watch his younger twin, who Dad had asked him to protect back when they were both just normal boys, go leaping into fights with things that sometimes frightened even _him_. Even though those days sometimes felt like they were thousands of years away, and even though they _had_ both eventually agreed that they would protect each other, he was still determined to hold to that promise. It was the only one of his promises from that time that he could still keep, now that the Radam had shown up.

Now that he only had one of his younger brothers left.

When the transport Saber was piloting, since he had taken the controls right after he had killed that Spider-crab, began to enter the outer-edges of the Earth’s atmosphere, the heat-shields on the cockpit windows began to slide closed. He knew they’d been coming; they were a standard feature on Beta transports, but it still felt strange to be isolated like this. Especially after he’d spent so much time in the Blue Earth’s cockpit, even though none of it had been during reentry.

"I- I knew your father, boys," a quiet voice said, barely breaking the silence.

"You shouldn’t try to talk, Dr. Random," he said, putting his unoccupied left hand on the man’s shoulder. "You’re hurt; you should save your strength."

"I knew him," Dr. Random repeated, his eyes fixing on Slade with an unfocused sort of intensity. "He was a good man."

"Yeah," Saber said thickly. "Dad was the best." His brother paused, sighing. "I don’t know if he’d be too happy with us now, though; we haven’t forgotten, the way he told us to. We _remember_."

And they did; even when it hurt, even when it felt like it would break them both, they remembered the people they had once been and the family they had once had.

"I’m sure he would be proud of you boys," Dr. Random said, smiling weakly at them. "What happened? The Argos mission?"

"The Radam," Saber said, all but spitting the name. " _They_ happened. None of the crew made it out; the only reason Slade and I are even here now is because Dad pulled us out before… before anything else could happen to us."

"I’d wondered. Your names, that armor…"

"Please, Dr. Random, don’t try to talk anymore," he entreated. "Save your strength. We’ll be back on Earth soon."

Dr. Random was already unconscious again, though. At least, Slade _hoped_ that he was only unconscious. They were so close to Earth now, so close to getting help for the man, their father’s friend, that to lose him would feel like a knife in his heart.

One more in a long line of them, yes, but the feeling was still something he tried to avoid.

A quick look at the ship’s chronometer told him that he and Saber had better find someplace safe to transform back. They only had five minutes left, out of the thirty that they could safely remain transformed, and he for one didn’t want to cause the convoy or Dr. Random any more trouble than they had already run into today.

"Saber," he began, turning to look over at his younger brother, only to find him holding his head and moaning softly. "What’s wrong?"

"I- I don’t know," Saber said, shaking his head slowly. "I feel strange. Weak. Almost like I’m going to-"

The glowing crystal-field that surrounded either of them when they transformed into or out of their armored forms appeared around him, and his entire form was consumed by the light of his transformation. His armor vanished into the light, revealing his human form, and Slade moved quickly to catch his younger twin as he began to fall backwards.

"Brother," Saber muttered, as his eyes slipped closed.

Cradling his younger twin’s head for a few moments, baffled about just what had made Saber transform back and then collapse like that, Slade remembered that he didn’t have the time to speculate about that kind of thing right now. Standing up, he carried Saber over to the Teknobot and gently set him down next to the big mech’s feet.

"Teknobot, open interlock-chamber," he commanded, just loud enough for the mech to receive the command while still being quiet enough to let Saber get the sleep he so clearly needed.

"Affirmative."

Once the chamber was open, he climbed inside and felt the remaining energy from his transformation drain away. The Teknobot opened up again once he was back in human form, but he didn’t have time for more than a cursory glance over his younger twin before the computer began warning him of the imminent self-destruct. Cursing himself briefly for his slowness, Slade turned back to the Teknobot.

It was the safest place he could think of, since the Teknobot was designed to handle the kind of heavy-combat that he and Saber got into on pretty much a daily basis. That meant that it was probably at least as tough as one of them, and neither he nor Saber would have been adversely affected by an exploding spacecraft. Even a bulky Beta transport like the one they were in now.

_ First things first, though, _ he mused, knowing that he would have to transform himself to survive what was going to be coming. Transform, without the benefit of another meal and with very little rest between transformations besides. It wasn’t the best situation, but it was better than dying in the explosion of a Beta transport.

Ordering the Teknobot to restore his transformation, Slade was forced to take a moment to steady himself, before he picked Saber up gently with his armored hands.

"Teknobot, please protect my brother," he said firmly, though he wasn’t quite able to completely hide the quaver in his voice.

"Roger," the Teknobot said; he might have been imagining things, but the mech’s deep, powerful voice had actually sounded _kind_ then. He probably needed more sleep.

Still, as he cradled Saber in his arms, watching as the interlock-chamber opened again and he gently placed Saber’s slumbering form inside the open chamber, he wasn’t quite as surprised as he might have been otherwise when the Teknobot reached out to support his younger twin with its large hands. The Teknobot supported Saber until the interlock-chamber was halfway closed, then it let him go and sealed itself around him.

"Saber is safe," the Teknobot said; Slade blinked in surprise. "I will protect him."

"Thank you," he said, after a few moments of being stunned speechless.

Maggie _had_ said that the Teknobot’s A.I. would respond to his commands, and would eventually learn to anticipate them, but he honestly hadn’t expected anything like _this_ to start happening. Still, on the scale of strange things that had been happening to him lately, this was really one of the most minor. It was even benign, which wasn’t something he could honestly say regarding a lot of the strange things that had been happening to him lately.

The Beta detonated around them before he could think anymore about those kinds of things, though, and Slade quickly flew onto the Teknobot’s back before the two of them could become separated in the ensuing chaos.

Flying out ahead of the explosion, taking the lead ship’s place at the head of the convoy, Slade tried not to think about just what was happening to Dr. Random. The cockpit had sealed itself into an escape pod when the ship’s systems had gone critical, leaving him, Saber, and the Teknobot just outside, and so Dr. Random would have been protected from the ship’s self-destruct, and the explosives that he himself had planted, but the wounds that he had suffered needed tending to.

Something that he wasn’t going to be getting until they had all made it down to the Earth and back onto solid ground. He hoped that help didn’t come too late, but he worried that it might. A wave of weariness that almost knocked him to his knees let Slade know that he probably shouldn’t have transformed twice in such a short amount of time.

_ [Slade? Am I dreaming about being stuck in some kind of magician’s box, or is there something you’re not telling me?] _

Saber. _[It’s good to have you back with me, brother,]_ he said, relief taking the edge off of the tiredness that was pressing down on him. _[You’re inside the Teknobot. The ship was about to explode, so it was the safest place to put you.]_

_ [Ah. Well thanks, then. You don’t sound very well, though, brother. Tired?] _

_ [Yeah,] _ he chuckled softly. _[I had to transform right away, so I’m running on no food and less sleep, it feels like.]_

_ [Makes sense; I’ve certainly never tried something like that, but I imagine it would be pretty draining.] _

"Teknobot, Saber’s going to transform," he said. "Don’t activate my crystal."

"Affirmative."

He felt a surge of energy under his feet, and then a burst of bright blue energy shot out of the top of the Teknobot. He sighed, knowing that he was one more step closer to getting the sleep he so desperately needed right now. Saber turned a flip in mid-flight, landing just behind him on the Teknobot.

_ [It’s all yours, brother mine.] _

_ [Thanks, Saber,] _ he said, grateful at last to be able to be getting the sleep he needed if he was going to function properly until the end of the day.

Flying under the Teknobot, Slade ordered it to open its interlock-chamber for the umpteenth time that day. Securing himself inside, he watched the chamber close around him and then felt the rush of energy leaving his body as his transformation faded away. He didn’t know quite where they were in relation to the convoy anymore, but for the moment Slade was entirely too tired to care.

1101010010

When the Beta transport that Slade, Saber, and Dr. Random had been riding had exploded so suddenly, Star’s heart just about leapt up into her throat. She’d heard them and Dr. Random talking, and she and Ringo both knew now that the doctor’s plan had been to put himself forward as a target for the Radam so that the rest of the convoy could get through safely. She only hoped that poor, brave, determined man would manage to make it through his ordeal.

After that conversation, though, the twins had seemed to be having another, but the radio-link from the Teknobot to the Blue Earth had been garbled enough that they had only managed to pick out two words: we remember. Saber had said them, but she didn’t know the context or who they had been spoken in response to. Ringo, of course, had decided that it wasn’t important to him, but she couldn’t help but wonder just what it was that the twins remembered.

Or who.

Flying out at the head of the convoy, taking the place that had been occupied previously by Dr. Random’s ship, Star held onto her composure with an iron grip. She did the same with her faith in the twins; they had to have survived, they were stronger than a mere exploding ship, and they had made themselves too much a part of her life for Star to let them go so easily. They would come back; they had to.

When Ringo landed the Blue Earth on the beach, right next to the ocean they’d guided the Beta transports into so that the water would cushion the shock of their landing, Star took a moment to remind herself that the twins were alive. Even in spite of the fact that neither she nor Ringo had been able to spot them on their way down through the Earth’s atmosphere, those two were the bravest, strongest men she had ever known. They could survive this; they _had_ survived this.

Leaving the ship behind, she and Ringo spoke briefly with the military personnel unloading the Beta transports, informing them of the status of the convoy, and the fate of Dr. Random. She honestly hoped that the doctor himself would manage to survive until he had reached the medical help that was waiting for all of them at the landing site, but that wasn’t the foremost thought in her mind at the moment. She was worried about Slade and Saber; the twins, her boys, or that was how she was starting to think of Saber, anyway.

What she was starting to feel for Slade wasn’t nearly so simple, she knew.

"I have to believe they made it out," Ringo said, turning to her as the both stood together on the beach, scanning the skies for any signs of the twins. "Those kids are indestructible."

The Teknobot burst up and out of the water, and she saw that Saber had actually been riding on the mech’s back. He flew off with a burst from his thrusters, landing on the Teknobot’s right shoulder and actually sitting down there, still in his full armor, until the Teknobot had settled itself down on the beach. The light of his transformation, that strange crystalline-cage, enveloped him then, and Saber’s armored form was subsumed in turquoise radiance for a few moments before vanishing to reveal his human form in the same pose: palms flat against the Teknobot’s shoulder-assembly, lower legs resting on the mech’s right arm with his ankles together, and his eyes turned toward the interlock-chamber.

"It’s the Teknobot!" she exclaimed, unable to control her joy in the face of what seemed like a miracle.

When the Teknobot settled itself onto the sand, Saber leapt lightly from his perch and landed in the sand next to it. Running up to meet the mech as the interlock-chamber swung open, she saw Saber looping his left arm around Slade’s shoulders, taking the weight of his brother with his right arm around Slade’s waist.

"Slade! Saber!" she called happily, as she and Ringo both ran up to meet the twins.

"Hey," Saber said, smiling softly at them. "Nice to see some more friendly faces."

Slade was more subdued, but Star could just tell that he felt just the same as his brother.

"Compliments on a job well done," one of the squad leaders from the AEM said, driving up to their group in a Jeep; the smiles on both twins’ faces disappeared like morning mist as soon as they saw him. "I’ve just spoken to High Command, and they’re very satisfied with the results of this operation."

"Enough of the supplies got through all right?" she asked; she still wondered what was bothering the twins, but now wasn’t quite the time to think about those kinds of things.

"Yes indeed," the trooper said. "Losses were minimal; some damage here and there, but considerably less than expected. All in all, the whole operation went off much better than we could have expected."

"And casualties, Captain?" she asked, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder at the twins; they’d been uncommonly quiet since the soldiers had shown up, particularly for Saber. "How many were there?"

"Nothing to speak of," the captain said calmly; Star almost thought she heard someone scoff, but that could have just been her imagination. "One man on the critical list, but that’s about it. Only one man in the hospital," the captain said, turning to look at where she knew the twins were standing. "We could’ve had a whole lot more."

The twins moved forward almost as one; Saber’s slap knocked the captain’s head sideways, and Slade’s follow-up punch flattened him on his back. The other trooper, the one who had stayed in the Jeep, leaped out and tried to tackle them, but Ringo intercepted him before he could take more than a couple steps. The captain, meanwhile, was demanding to know why the twins had just hit him.

"Just _one man_ , huh?" Saber all but snarled.

"That was one man too many," Slade hissed, throwing something that glittered at the captain’s feet; it landed between the mirrored sunglasses that Slade’s punch had knocked off.

She wondered what was wrong, watching the twins for a moment as they stalked off, and turned to look down at what Slade had thrown down. It was the wristband that Dr. Random had been wearing; only now it was open, and she could see that there was a picture inside it. It was a family portrait: a younger Dr. Random, with someone that was probably his wife, and a little girl that looked so much like him that she just had to be his daughter.

Star understood now: the twins had been with Dr. Random up until his ship had exploded, speaking to him as he was suffering from his wounds; it was no wonder they had been so angry that his sacrifice could be that easily dismissed by the very ones that he had made it for.


	10. Bold Soldier Boy

Striding across the sand, trying to drown his anger in the crashing of the waves at his back, Slade was still acutely aware of Saber’s presence at his side. Once he and Saber had made it back inside the Blue Earth, reluctantly let go of Saber’s arm and slumped down in his seat. Saber wasn’t about to let him go that easily, of course, something he’d been expecting, and it did made him feel better to have Saber’s hand still holding his.

_ At least I know why Dad disliked the AEM so much, _ he mused, resting his forehead on Saber’s right shoulder as the full impact of what he’d seen and done today finally registered with him. He’d been pushing it aside, focusing on what was in front of him and what he still had to do, and then on the danger that Saber had been in, but now there was nothing else. Nothing else to keep his mind off of the fact that Dr. Silas Random, who had been their last known link to their father and a good man besides, had basically died while they watched.

And no one but them had even seemed to care.

When he heard the sounds of more people boarding the Blue Earth, Slade looked up to see the only two other people that he was particularly pleased to see under the circumstances. Once Ringo and Star had both settled into their seats, though Ringo shot them a look of mild approval before he was fully settled into his seat. Slade gave him a smile, tight smile in return, not really feeling up to anything more demonstrative than that.

"Well, _that_ was a more excitement than I like to have at the end of the day," Ringo said, though he still sounded pretty amused. "It’s not like I disapprove or anything, but you kids might want to pick your battles better in the future. Those Army guys have long memories, and they don’t forgive easily," Ringo sighed. "Or at all, I don’t think," Slade heard him mutter.

_ [Not the most comforting thought in the world, brother,] _ Saber said.

_ [Yeah; well, we’ll burn that bridge if we come to it, brother,] _ he said, turning back to the control panel in front of him, as Ringo and Star made preparations to lift off again. _[Right now, though, we should just concentrate on what’s in front of us.]_

_ [Yeah, I guess you’re right,] _ Saber said, then he subsided into watchful silence with a short yawn.

With the Blue Earth in the air at last, Slade let himself relax a bit. There was nothing else to hold him here, and while he would mourn for Dr. Random later with Saber, he was glad to be getting back home. He’d be glad to fall into bed and _sleep_ , after all of this.

01001001

Settled within his base, monitoring the humans who were undergoing the Teknoprocess, Darkon sensed that another of his humans was nearing completion. More precisely, it was the youngest of the humans that was at such a stage.

_ [I see you have managed to will your way through, young one,] _ he said, focusing on the young once-human’s mind and feeling it open to him. _[Now then, tell me your name.]_

_ [I am Rapier.] _

_ [Good, young one. Now, what is your purpose?] _

_ [I am to be your hidden eyes; your shadow assassin. The one who is never seen, until it is too late.] _

_ [Excellent,] _ he said, feeling his unused lips pull back to reveal his pristine teeth, all the sharper for their months upon months of disuse. _[I am pleased to know that you have absorbed your lessons so well, my dear Rapier.]_

_ [Thank you, my Lord.] _

_ [Sleep now,] _ he commanded, willing the youngest of his Teknomen back into peaceful slumber. _[Your time will come soon enough.]_

0010100000

It was the first time he had felt honestly _rested_ since his fight against the Radam had begun; Slade could only speculate that it had been thanks to his three transformations on the same day, two of them without the benefit of food or sleep beforehand. Though, if _that_ was the kind of price he was going to have to pay to have a night free of terror, it wasn’t quite worth it.

Sitting up in bed, Slade yawned deeply and blinked up at the ceiling. _[Saber? Did you sleep well tonight, brother?]_

_ [Yeah,] _ Saber said, sounding well-rested himself. _[So, we meet for breakfast as usual, and_ then _get in some free sparring?]_

_ [I think I could handle that,] _ he said, smiling as he slid out of bed and stood up.

Yawing as he made his way to his personal bathroom, Slade peeled off his old clothes and tossed them into the hamper by the door. Quickly going through his morning routine, knowing that Saber was likely doing the same in his own bathroom, Slade finished with another jaw-cracking yawn. Padding out of the bathroom on slippered feet, Slade toed off his slippers and removed the last of his clothes to throw in the hamper.

Heading over to his closet, Slade pulled out one more in the long line of Space Knight uniforms that he had in his closet and put the thing on. It was nice to have at least _one_ routine in his life that didn’t involve fighting mutant space crabs or dealing with the AEM in any way, shape, or form, he reflected. When the door slid open, revealing his younger twin smiling at him, Slade smiled back.

"Good to see you again, brother," he said, smiling softly himself.

"Yeah, you too," Saber said, stepping forward to take his hand and gently tug him out of his room. "Now, let’s go get some food."

The door slid closed as they walked away, heading for the cafeteria for some food. The only really good point that he could see about the increased metabolism that he had as a Teknoman, that he and Saber both had, was the fact that he didn’t have to wait nearly as long as a normal person after eating to exercise. Of course, the obvious downside to that was that they needed to eat a lot more than a normal person did to feel full.

And, even then, the feeling itself didn’t last for very long.

When they made it to the cafeteria again, Saber having let go of his hand along the way so that both of them would be able to carry their trays when they got them, they got right into line for food. After they had gotten all of the food they were going to have this morning, or at least right now, he and Saber went to sit down at their usual table. They didn’t talk while they ate, preferring instead to focus on getting as many useable calories out of their meal as they could, but he would always take comfort in the fact that his younger brother was right there with him.

It was one of the few things he could really count on, with the Radam here in force and the rest of their family enslaved by them.

When they had finished the last of their food, he and Saber traded grins as they stood up to leave. He took their trays to the counter, the way he had always done, and met Saber at the door the way he had yesterday. It was strange to think, he reflected as they walked, that all of those world-shaking events had taken course over the span of just one day; it _felt_ like a whole lot longer, yes, but whenever he checked one of the calendars he saw again that just a single day had passed.

It was such a strange thing to think about.

As he and Saber made their way down to the gym, Slade wondered for a moment just what was going to happen today. Something involving the Radam, no doubt, and maybe even something with the Allied Earth Military if they were especially unlucky. Which they had usually seemed to be, ever since they had been forced to abandon the Argos and everyone onboard her to their fates.

Sometimes he wondered if this capricious luck he and Saber seemed alternately cursed and blessed with was fate’s way of punishing him for that abandonment; still, if it was what he had to do to save the Earth, he would learn to live without depending on luck.

When they actually made it to the gym without being called away by either the emergency or the general alerts, Slade smiled slightly while Saber outright grinned.

"Well, I think we just might get some free-sparring in after all, big brother," Saber said, his grin now more of a smirk.

"I think you might just be right about that, little brother," he said, smirking back with that same mischievous air that Saber had shown him.

Shedding their Space Knight vests and shirts, leaving themselves in just a pair of white tank tops, he and Saber stepped into the ring and began to circle each other, both of them looking for an opening to make their first attack. He’d learned well enough over all the time that he had sparred with Saber never to attack first; he’d end up getting thrown all over the place, all the while getting more irritated by the way Saber would smirk at him, which would only lead to him getting thrown around _more_. Finally, he spotted what looked like a slight opening.

He knew it was a ruse even before he committed to his charge, but he feinted before Saber could grab him, and aimed a punch for his younger brother’s left flank. Saber was just a bit too fast for him to tag, though, and his younger twin managed to knock his legs out from under him with a sweep-kick that he was just a few seconds too late to dodge. Continuing the motion with a forward-roll, Slade got back to his feet just in time to dodge Saber’s own punch.

Grinning at his brother as they both reoriented themselves, Slade saw the answering grin on Saber’s face.

"Nice reflexes, brother," he said, as they began to circle each other again.

"Yours aren’t so bad, either, brother," Saber said, winking.

Slade laughed, as the two of them dove back in on the attack again. After that, things kind of blurred into just move and countermove; strike and block and be struck at and blocked in return. It was the way every real fight, even a relatively tame free-spar like this one, became in the end: a flurry of moves, shoving your conscious mind aside and immersing you in the muscle-memories that had been ingrained into you through years of rigorous training. It was definitely freeing, not having to think; not to think about all the things that _had_ gone wrong, or else about all the things that still _could_.

When he began to tire slightly, he felt Saber grip his hands; their fingers interlaced almost on reflex, and he set his stance and began to push. Saber didn’t quite have his strength, which was why his younger brother tended to rely on throws, joint-locks, slams, and submission holds in his fights, but he’d learned really well not to underestimate his twin’s sheer, bloody-minded stubbornness in these kinds of situations. As if to prove this point, Saber sank into a deep forward-stance and drove into him.

Tried to, anyway, since he was shoving just as hard against Saber as Saber was against him.

"No finger-crushing, big brother," Saber said, with a slightly whimsical smile.

"And no throwing, little brother," he retorted, smiling back.

Even the sound of someone coming into the gym with them didn’t distract him from his little test of strength against Saber. He did notice them, in the vague sort of way he registered the edges of the mat that they were standing on so he wouldn’t end up getting shoved off and losing, but they weren’t moving or talking so he didn’t devote any extra attention to them. If they wanted to talk, they were going to have to wait.

Digging his heels into the mat as Saber continued to push against him, all the while grinning back at his brother as they continued to test each other’s resolve; not to mention the other’s footing, he smiled widely. He thought for a moment that he could hear someone talking, but it didn’t really sound like they were talking to _them_ , so Slade felt safe ignoring whoever it was. When he heard someone _shout_ , though, someone who was obviously in the same room as them, Slade was distracted for one quick second.

Unfortunately, he let up on Saber at that crucial second, allowing his younger brother to tackle him to the ground and almost ending up with the two of them face-planting into each other.

"Thanks, Ringo," Saber said as he looked up, and Slade couldn’t quite tell if he was being serious or sarcastic; knowing him, though, it was probably both.

"What is it, Ringo?" he asked, as he and Saber disentangled themselves and helped each other back upright.

"Tina just called us in for a meeting in Comm. One," the other man said, grinning slightly. "There’s something going down, but you kids might want to wash up before you report in; I can’t imagine that either of you smell good right now. Sinks are in the other room, and you can toss those shirts of yours in the hamper."

"Right," he said, as he and Saber headed to the far end of the gym.

There _was_ a door on the far wall of the room, which he’d sort of figured lead to some sort of washroom or other, and he proceeded Saber through it and held the door open for his brother. Peeling off his tank top and tossing it in the hamper the way Ringo had instructed him to, Slade headed over to the sink and began to wash up for the second time that day. Saber was using the sink next to him, of course.

When they had both finished, with him waiting a bit until Saber was fully done, he grabbed a pair of towels, tossed one to Saber, and then dried himself off quickly. Tossing his used towel into the hamper on top of his brother’s, Slade headed for the door and then held it open for Saber. His brother gave him a sidelong smile for that, obviously amused but Slade wasn’t quite sure about what.

Maybe he’d ask about it later, but for now they had a briefing to attend; and probably a plan by the Radam to deal with.

Ringo was watching for them when they came out, and as they got closer he picked their shirts up, rolled them into bundles, and tossed them both over. He caught his, and looked over his shoulder to make sure that Saber had caught his, and continued walking forward as he pulled his own shirt down and tucked it back into his white pants. He and Saber both grabbed their respective vests and put them back on, zipping them up as they fell into step beside Ringo on their way out of the gym.

"So, did Tina mention what _this_ particular briefing was about, or are we going to find out when we get there, as usual?" he heard Saber ask, and he realized that he was curious about that himself.

"No," Ringo said, rolling his eyes. "Tina never tells us what’s going on unless it’s some kind of an emergency."

Sharing an aside glance with Saber, he saw his younger twin roll his eyes as well. It _was_ kind of annoying, Slade had to admit, the way Tina couldn’t just add a few more words to inform them all about just what it was that they were all about to get into. Ringo took the lead as they all headed down the corridors to Comm. One, and he and Saber both fell in more directly behind him as they continued on their way.

Once they had all made it to Comm. One, he nodded back to the Commander’s usual non-verbal greeting.

"So, what’s the situation _this_ time, Commander?" Ringo asked, as the doors slid closed behind them and they headed into the middle of the room.

"A squadron of the Allied Earth Military’s elite commandos have been dispatched to the Space Ring on a special mission; they are even now fighting their way past the enemy. This mission is a top-priority: they must clear a path through the Spider-crabs to the hangar-section. That’s where the enhanced high-speed attack fighters are docked."

"What happens when they get to them?" Saber asked. "They just fly them back to Earth?"

"Provided they have an open path to the planet, yes," the Commander said.

"Let me guess," Ringo groused. "The Military brass have asked for the twins to tag along on this mission of theirs."

The Commander nodded. "I won’t order you boys to go up there; it will have to be your decision, and each of you must decide for himself."

"What has the Military ever done for us, sir?" Slade demanded; he could remember plenty of things that the AEM had done _to_ them, and not just _them_ either. "They treat the Space Knights like scum until _they_ need something from us."

"Yeah; and it’s not like they’re even nice to us when they actually _want_ a favor, either," Saber said, with an annoyed roll of his eyes. "It’s just ‘Space Knights, do this’ or ‘we have another job that only you can do for us, Space Knights’. And, when we all _do_ manage to pull it off without a hitch, they never even acknowledge us."

"We’ll still be going," he said, in response to the expression on the Commander’s face. " _We_ don’t abandon people who need us."

"But we’re only going out there because there are people who need the help," Saber said, folding his arms. "The Allied Earth Military can suck eggs."

Turning, clapping a hand on Saber’s shoulder as they both left the room, Slade could hear Star and Ringo talking about them. About what had happened between him, Saber, and Dr. Random. He still remembered that bastard Captain’s callous dismissal of Dr. Random’s life, and everything he had done to get the convoy that he had been leading safely down to Earth. And, even after the way Gault had treated them, he _still_ had the nerve to demand that they go out and help with this new mission of theirs.

Sure, neither of them were the type to just leave people who needed their help in a bind like anyone who was being swamped by Spider-crabs would be, but it still felt like they were being taken advantage of during times like this.

_ [Shameless bunch of bastards, aren’t they?] _

_ [Yeah,] _ Slade barked a laugh; he knew _just_ who Saber was talking about. _[Even their own commandos can’t count on them to help. That’s just sad.]_

_ [Well, no one could really accuse the AEM of being reliable,] _ his younger brother said, giving him a sidelong look; Slade laughed.

Star and Ringo caught up to them on their way to Hangar Three, and the four of them fell into step with each other. It was obvious that they wanted to talk about something, or at least that Star had something to say, but he wasn’t really in the mood to listen to anything about how he shouldn’t take what had happened to Dr. Random personally. He’d been one of their father’s friends, though Slade wasn’t about to say anything about _that_ , and there were few things more personal than that.

About the only thing more personal than an old family friend was family itself, and neither he nor Saber had much of that anymore.

111010010

_ Grant Goddard; I am Grant Goddard. _ He’d been repeating that, his name, whenever he had started to feel his body settling down into the dark oblivion that had already claimed so many of his friends. His students were already gone for the most part; Conrad had been dragged down into that abyss some time ago, his mind twisted and his will forcibly subverted to serve the Radam Empire. Fritz had been taken early; he was a good kid, but between his low tolerance for pain, and his mild claustrophobia, the sensory deprivation that all of them were subject to for long periods of time had worn away at him until he simply hadn’t had the will to resist anymore.

Grant hated himself for the fact that he’d lost consciousness with Fritz’s screaming, his pleas, and his begging for help echoing in his ears; by the time he’d managed to regain enough awareness of his surroundings to realize again where he was, Fritz had been shattered. So desperate for reprieve that had ended up trusting his fate to the very being that had dragged them all into this sad, sorry situation in the first place, Darkon, of course, had been swift to take advantage of Fritz’s misplaced trust in him; implanting him with the mind-parasite that had warped Fritz Wallace into the vicious, homicidal Teknoman Gunnar.

Although, considering the fact that Gunnar didn’t seem to be anywhere in evidence anymore, and the way Darkon had been concentrating so much of his attention on Conrad, Grant thought that he could at least hope that what remained of Fritz Wallace had been finally laid to rest.

He knew that the twins had escaped; knew that they had been set loose by Ulysses as a last, desperate act, just before he had self-destructed the Argos and crippled Darkon’s ship. The only reason that the probe hadn’t landed on Earth, bringing its complement of enslaved super-soldiers with it, had been because of the last act of Ulysses Carter. That man had saved the Earth, in more ways than one, and Grant didn’t know if anyone but his remaining human sons would ever know about it.

All he himself could do, deprived of an escape rout and incapable of moving even one of his limbs, was fight a holding action against the Radam influence that inhabited this ship. It wasn’t Darkon, though it was obviously connected to the Warlord in some way or another, but something that seemed to inhabit the ship itself. This probe had been created by the Radam, and something of their evil, depraved ambition lived on in the very walls and corridors of the ship.

It was the only way that he could think of to explain the presence that seemed to watch him, even when Darkon’s attention was so clearly absorbed with other matters. The Warlord’s attention hadn’t fallen on him yet, the depraved alien’s focus clearly absorbed in breaking Conrad and Sam to his twisted will, and Grant didn’t know quite how he felt about that. On the one hand, the fact that Darkon’s attention was distracted meant that Grant could focus more of his _own_ attention on holding his mind together; on the other hand, what Darkon’s focus was distracted _by_ was breaking and warping his students, his _friends_ , into obedient, brainwashed servants of the Radam and their Empire.

He could only hope that the twins would be strong enough to do what they had to when the time came.

It was good that they were still together; Ness and Cain completed each other, each adding his own contribution to the team that they had formed when they were just boys. Grant didn’t want to think of what would have happened to those boys if they had been forced to fight on opposite sides of this war; what either of them would have been going through if both of them hadn’t been freed together. Ulysses had had to have known that; Grant was just glad that his late friend had been given the chance to _act_ on what he knew.

It was better this way; both for the twins, and for the planet they were still fighting for.

1101001000

They’d headed out to the Blue Earth, and as Star watched Saber stow away the ration containers that he and Slade had just finished cleaning out, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. They had been through so much, yesterday seeming to be the worst of it, and now they were going right back into battle again while they were still clearly hurting from what had just happened. It wasn’t fair to them, but Star didn’t quite know what she could do to help them.

"It’s time, kids," Ringo said, as the engines thrummed and rumbled. "Let’s do it."

The Blue Earth’s pre-launch vehicle soared up the launch-ramp, giving their small ship the extra power it needed to clear the planet’s atmosphere. Something they did quickly, leaving them out in the void of interplanetary space. And also giving them a clearer view of the Space Ring, where all of those brave men and women were fighting for their lives against Darkon’s army of horrible Spider-crabs.

She just hoped that they and the twins would get there in time to help.

"All systems are at optimum," she reported, as the last wisps of the exosphere passed them by.

They were following beside one of the huge support-pillars of the Space Ring, the ones that had originally been used to access the huge space-elevators that connected to the Ring from the ground. After the Radam had come, of course, there had been a mad scramble to shut the elevators down, in the hopes that that would at least delay the advance of the Radam onto Earth. No one had known that they could fly, back then, and the elevators were still shut down.

It didn’t make much of a difference logistically, but it seemed to make people feel better about the situation.

Star was pulled from her contemplation about the past by multiple contacts on her radar screen, and when she glanced up she saw that the forward windows were filling up with Spider-crabs. Saber was muttering something under his breath, and knowing him it was probably either vulgar or sarcastic.

"They’re trying to surround us!" Ringo reported, having obviously been keeping an eye on his targeting screen. "We can’t let them close the circle!"

Her hands flew over the controls in a pre-determined sequence that was almost as familiar to Star as her own name, guiding the Blue Earth out of danger even as Ringo immersed his attention in the interplay of target and trigger, shooting down the Spider-crabs that were close enough to threaten their ship and driving off the ones that weren’t quite close enough to hit. But even with every Spider-crab that the laser cannons were able to kill or drive away, three more seemed to come out of the woodwork.

They were being swarmed, and there seemed to be nothing they could do about it.

As more and more of the Spider-crabs began to make it past the barrage of laser cannon-fire that Ringo was laying down, moving in close enough to slam into the Blue Earth and potentially tear a fatal hole in her hull, Ringo yelled for them all to hold on. Bracing herself against the crazy bucking and jolting of ship as Ringo spun them around and fired, diving the Spider-crabs off and giving them a temporary reprieve, she sighed in relief.

The relief she felt was short-lived, though, since what she saw on her ship-board status monitor was extremely bad; not nearly on the level of a hull-breach, but bad: "We just lost the main vertical stabilizer!"

"I can hold her steady with the secondaries," Ringo said, sounding like he wasn’t particularly eager to try.

Come to think of it, neither was she. "Won’t the vibration shake us apart?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Star," he said.

"It’s too dangerous!" Slade shouted, he and Saber bracing themselves against the back of their chairs as they rose to their feet. "Both of you, go back to the Command Center! Saber and I will finish this mission on our own!"

"Excuse me? Since when do _you_ give the orders around here, Slade?" Ringo asked, though he seemed to find something kind of funny. "On the _other_ hand, if we went back, _I_ could have dinner with that little cutie from Section D who said-"

"Yes, because your love-life is _such_ an important consideration here," Saber said, just as another Spider-crab or two slammed into the ship.

"Glad you get the picture, Saber," Ringo chuckled, then he became serious. "Slade’s right, though: the ship is almost completely incapable of navigation as things stand now," he admitted. Then, he smirked again. "And, let’s not forget that our boys here are superheroes, who only need to rely on each other to get the job done."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Ringo," Saber said, as he and Slade came out from behind their respective chairs.

Another jolt rocked the Blue Earth, and the twins both crouched to ride through it.

"As soon as we’re clear of the ship, break off and return to the Command Center," Slade said, grabbing Saber’s hand so he could help his brother back to his feet.

"Understood," she said to the twins’ retreating backs, as they left for the main air lock. "Best of luck, you two. And, be careful out there."

"Thanks," Slade muttered, as Saber winked and blew a kiss to her over his left shoulder.

001001000

The air lock doors slid shut behind them, sealing him, Slade, and their little pocket of atmosphere into the last threshold between them and the cold, airless, unforgiving vacuum beyond. Slade didn’t even break stride as the doors closed behind him, and as Saber recalled his teknocrystal, he heard his brother activating the Teknobot.

"Tekno-power!"

The energies of his transformation filled him, and as his armor formed around him, Saber activated his thrusters and paced his brother’s Teknobot as it launched. Seconds later, Slade himself was ejected from the interlock-chamber. His red-on-white armor contrasted sharply not only with the darkness of outer space, but with Saber’s own red-on-black.

Before he could get too philosophical, he and Slade were out into space proper, and smack in the middle of the swarm of Spider-crabs that had nearly crippled the Blue Earth. Both he and Slade summoned their respective teknolances, and he quickly landed on the Teknobot behind Slade.

_ [Good to have you here, brother,] _ Slade said, twirling his lance to deflect a spray of venom.

_ [Right back at you, brother,] _ he said, splitting his own teknolance into its dual-mode, then hurling it at the five Spider-crabs in front of them.

_ [We’re going to be heading in through that observation window, just up ahead,] _ Slade said, and Saber looked at where his brother was pointing even as he reached out to catch his spinning teknolance as it rebounded back to him, collapsing it back into its standard form. _[Brace yourself.]_

_ [Will do, brother mine,] _ he said, wrapping his right arm around his brother’s waist as the Teknobot plowed through the large, round observation window in front of them.

He thought that Slade might have squeezed his hand, since that was what _he_ would have been doing if their positions had been reversed, but he could barely feel those kinds of physical sensations through his armor. He did close his fist a bit more tightly, though; just in case. The armored shutter sealed shut behind them when its system detected the sudden drop in atmospheric pressure, just the way Slade had so clearly planned to happen, and he sighed with relief; it wasn’t a long-term solution, since if those monster space crabs didn’t break through they would just circle around until they found another way in, but it _was_ a reprieve and Saber was grateful for it.

"That should keep them out of our way for awhile," Slade said, sounding grimly satisfied. "C’mon, let’s go find these commandos we’re going to be helping."

"Right behind you, brother," he said, smirking slightly under his helmet as he peered over his older twin’s left shoulder.

Slade looked back over at him, and Saber could just _tell_ that his brother was rolling his eyes. "Wiseass."

As they glided through the abandoned halls and corridors of the Space Ring, Saber briefly wondered when they were going to meet these commandos that Commander Jamison had briefed them about. He wondered for a lot shorter a time than he had been expecting to; he and Slade found themselves the targets of a bunch of standard-issue pulse rifles within a few minutes of starting their search.

"Hold your fire, lads," a strong, commanding, and interestingly enough Irish-accented, voice said, just as Saber was starting to wonder just who they’d run into now. "They’re on our side." The man who had just spoken, a middle-aged guy with short, brown hair who was _emphatically not_ his and Slade’s old Karate teacher Grant Goddard, jumped down from atop a pile of debris and strode up to meet them. "You’re those Teknomen we’ve been hearing so much about, aren’t you?" he asked, then went on before either of them had a chance to answer. "Must be our lucky day, boys! They’ve sent us some real-life superheroes!" None of the other commandos reacted much to that, though Saber _did_ see one or two of them smirking. "My name’s Miles O’Roarke, Captain, Special Forces. This mission’s under my command."

"Nice to meet you," he said, wanting to put him and his men at ease so they wouldn’t start shooting; they would need all the ammo they could get for dealing with the Spider-crabs, so it was best that he kept them from getting too trigger-happy.

"Ah, a _polite_ superhero," O’Roarke said, laughing, then turning his attention to Slade. "What’s with the ten-ton metal man? Is he a friend of yours?"

"I am Teknobot," the Teknobot said; O’Roarke looked like he’d just been slapped with a fish. "I am under Slade’s command."

It was true, though it wasn’t the whole story; the Teknobot _could_ take orders from any one of the Space Knights, but it would always prioritize Slade’s commands over any of them. And, when they were in combat, all other vocal-patterns would be locked out except his. It was one of Maggie’s security measures, and Saber was glad to have it.

"A robot with a sense of loyalty," O’Roarke said, staring up in surprise at the Teknobot. "Now I’ve seen everything." He looked back at them, then. "Except for you, superheroes; all I’ve seen so far are your tin suits."

After a look of confirmation passed from him to Slade, his brother ordered the Teknobot to open its interlock-chamber while Saber himself concentrated on reversing his own transformation. Feeling the rush of energy departing as he let his transformed state fade, Saber was peripherally aware of O’Roarke and the rest of his commandos all staring at him and Slade like they were the strangest and most interesting things that they had ever seen. Which, given the fact that they had all been fighting Spider-crabs for who knew how long, was kind of funny.

Once he was free of his confining, protective armor, Saber took a deep breath of the relatively fresh air in this section of the Space Ring as Slade climbed back out of the Teknobot. Nodding to his older twin as they fell into step beside each other, he and Slade made their way up to where O’Roarke was standing, surrounded by his soldiers.

"I’m Slade," his brother said, nodding to O’Roarke as they both stopped in front of him. "And this is my younger brother, Saber."

"Only by thirty minutes," he said, giving Slade a sidelong smirk.

"The principle still stands," Slade said, resting his left hand on Saber’s right shoulder.

Saber rolled his eyes. "You see what I have to put up with here?" he asked the room at large, holding out his own left hand in airily mocking supplication.

He knew why Slade did it, though; his brother needed someone to protect, needed to feel that he was still keeping at least _one_ of the promises he had made to Dad all those years ago. Slade still needed to see that he was the same person that he’d always been, and he’d pretty much always been the protective type; that was the whole reason that Saber had nicknamed him their Blessed Protector back then. And, if that meant that he would have to put up with a bit of over-protection every now and then, he’d deal with it gracefully.

Though no one said he couldn’t cheerfully rib his older twin for all he was worth.

"We’re with the Space Knights, and we’ve been assigned to help you carry out your mission, Captain O’Roarke," Slade said, becoming serious again as he faced O’Roarke squarely.

"Ah, yes, the Space Knights. Been hearing a lot about you lads the past few weeks," O’Roarke said, staring hard at them as he settled himself down behind what Saber could have sworn was a salvaged coffee table. "And your leader, Commander Jamison; from what I’ve heard, he dislikes General Gault _almost_ as much as I do."

He liked this O’Roarke guy already. "Gault’s a bastard, and he can go suck eggs," Saber said, smirking at both the beginning-to-be-amused expression on O’Roarke’s face and the flash of disbelieving amusement he got from Slade. "But we’re not here for him, we’re here to help you and your people complete your mission."

O’Roarke laughed heartily. "With an attitude like _that_ , you’d fit right in here, boyo," then, taking a moment to regain his composure, the soldier continued. "Now, where are the other two members of your unit? I thought the Space Knights always worked as a team."

"We’re completing the mission without them," Slade said, taking up the main thread of the conversation again. "The Blue Earth was badly damaged by a swarm of Spider-crabs, so they flew her back to the Command Center."

"This is actually the first time we’ve run a mission without Ringo and Star to back us up," Saber said. "It’s kind of strange."

"Is it, now?" O’Roarke said, his eyes flickering from him to Slade as if sizing them up. "Well, we’ll be completing _this_ mission without the help of you two, superheroes."

"You’re wrong," Slade said firmly; Saber valiantly resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

While it _was_ true that O’Roarke was being kind of stupid, refusing the help that they could offer against the swarms of Spider-crabs that Darkon was going to be swamping them with, he was starting to see some definite similarities between this O’Roarke guy and Slade. Both of them were incredibly stubborn, for one thing.

"Listen, my young friend, this is the most highly-trained bunch of commandos in the Army," O’Roarke said. "We’ve never needed anyone’s help before, and we don’t now. Am I right, lads?!"

_ Wonderful; the battle of the oversized egos, _ Saber groused, putting up firm mental walls between his mind and Slade’s. His older twin was obviously going to be part of the problem this time; Slade was enough like O’Roarke in certain aspects that dealing with them both at the same time was going to be _interesting_. He hated when things were _interesting_ , they had a marked tendency to end badly lately.

"Listen, O’Roarke- mlphh!"

Wrapping his right arm around his brother’s shoulders and covering Slade’s mouth before he could say something that would get them both in trouble with this O'Roarke character, Saber grinned.

"Sorry; my older brother’s suffering from a pronounced case of foot-in-mouth disease. Research for a cure is still ongoing."

_ [Saber, what’re you  _ thinking _?!]_

_ [Brother, there is a time and a place for your brand of aggressive negotiation, and then there’s a time for creative diplomacy. This is clearly the latter; I can already see we’re going to have enough trouble dealing with this mission without you and O’Roarke here butting heads over authority.] _

_ [How can you tell  _ that _?]_ Slade asked, still sounding kind of annoyed by the ninja-hand-of-shut-the-hell-up that had just been inflicted on him.

_ [My heretofore-unknown powers of clairvoyance,] _ he said, removing his hand from his brother’s mouth as he stopped struggling. "Anyway, since we’re pretty much stuck here for the time being, maybe we could at least help out a bit when you need us. Sure, the Spider-crabs are pretty much mindless, mutant space insects, but when they swarm you the way they usually do it’s kind of like trying to fight off an entire anthill all at once." Reaching up as if to scratch his head, Saber rubbed his right temple; he was starting to feel a bit lightheaded. "Or, maybe we could be your mascots, or something."

He could practically _feel_ Slade’s Look burning into the side of his head, but he ignored it in favor of seeing what O’Roarke himself thought. The commando leader had thrown back his head, giving out the kind of hearty belly laugh that let Saber know that he’d managed to successfully defuse the situation. At least this way they’d have a better chance of doing some good, as opposed to just being shut out the way O’Roarke seemed to prefer.

"D’ya hear that, lads?" O’Roarke said, after he had managed to reign in his obvious amusement; every one of the soldiers was laughing at the suggestion, but some of them seemed to be honestly considering the idea. "Listen... Saber, right?"

"That’s what all my friends call me," he answered, with one of the most disarming smiles he could muster.

O’Roarke smiled back. "As much as I appreciate you lads coming all the way out here on the request of a man you both obviously have no love for," the soldier’s expression told him that the sentiment was one he shared wholeheartedly, and Saber let himself smile a bit wider. "I think you two might just want to take a nap before we all go into battle together." Taking a deep breath, and resisting the urge to shake his head since he doubted that O’Roarke would understand the gesture for what it really was, he bumped shoulders with Slade and the two of them clasped hands; oddly enough, Slade seemed to need the comfort just as much as he did. "Because, as charming as your offer was there, boyo, we won’t be needing any mascots. So congratulations; you lads have just joined the crew."

Clutching at his at his head with his free hand as the pain in his head spiked sharply, Saber thought he could hear Slade demanding to know just what the hell was going on, something he would have liked to know himself, and then O’Roarke actually apologizing for something. He didn’t have any time to think about just what any of that might have meant, before the pain spiked one last time and everything went profoundly dark.

110101001

He had to at least give those superhero twins credit for one thing: the both of them were incredibly tough. The last time Miles had been forced to use a graviton field on someone, they had dropped almost on the spot, while these two had actually managed to hold on long enough to have a conversation. He wondered, with a bit of morbid amusement, just what that Saber lad had kept his brother from saying when he had covered his older brother’s mouth.

Judging from the look on the lad’s face just before his younger brother had silenced him, it wouldn’t have been particularly polite.

As he moved closer, looking down at the two unconscious boys and the way they had fallen, Miles caught sight of something. Something that summed up the feelings these two lads obviously had for each other without a single word. The two of them had grabbed instinctively for the other’s hand, thus showing Miles everything he needed to know about their relationship. He’d seen brothers die before, even twins, as rare as it was for him to meet up with people like that, and the ones who were truly as close to each other as a good family was always reached for each other when there was something terrible facing them.

These lads clearly had that kind of a bond, and it almost made him wish that he could have gotten to know them a bit better; but if there was one thing he wasn’t going to tolerate, it was having help forced on him and his Raiders when they didn’t really need it.

Still, looking down at the way these two lads had fallen, their hands grasping the other’s as if it was some kind of a lifeline for them, he couldn’t help a flash of admiration. These two might very well have been able to fit in with his Raiders. Particularly that Saber lad, if his attitude toward General Gault was any indication.

"All right, lads, let’s move out!" he directed.

However, before he could give any sort of orders about what was to be done with Saber and his brother, their ten-ton metal man with no proper name came marching up to them. Without even a word, even as the rest of his Raiders started talking amongst themselves, wondering just what the metal-man was doing, the machine lifted them both up off the floor and cradled each of the twins in one of its huge hands. Slade was in the left, and Saber was held in the right; it was kind of touching, and all the stranger to see a machine being so gentle.

"So, what’s all this, then?" he asked, looking from the clasped hands of the twins to the towering, ten-ton tin-man that had just scooped them up.

"I will protect them," the robot said firmly, as it started to trail after them as they formed up and started to move out.

"Will you?" he asked, feeling a flare of both admiration and curiosity for this metal-man of theirs.

Instead of answering him in any normal sense, the twins’ ten-ton tin-man played some type of recording. The first voice he heard was Saber’s: "Take care of him for me, will you?" a chuckle. "Slade, I mean." Then he heard from Slade himself: "Teknobot, please protect my brother."

"Ah, I see," he said, walking up to this ‘Teknobot’ of theirs. "So both of those lads asked you to protect the other, and so you decided to protect them both."

"Affirmative," the Teknobot said; it was going to need a name, faithful companion that it so obviously was to the both of them.

But not now, he had troops to muster and Spider-crabs to hunt; it was time that they got on with this mission. And, with any luck and a lot of skill, he and all his people would be able to go home alive. However there was no real way of telling; he’d lost good people before, much as he still didn’t like to think about it.

As he and his commandos suited up, Miles spared a thought for the superhero twins that had been effectively foisted off on them. They weren’t exactly secure, held loosely in the giant hands of their robotic companion, but then it wasn’t as if the metal-man _could_ have held them any tighter anyway. Not without the risk of hurting them, which it- _he_ obviously wasn’t willing to take in any case.

"Teknobot!" he called; he really needed to think of a name for the thing, any robot that had that much control and self-will was more than just a machine. "We’re going to be moving out soon."

"I will follow."

"Yes," he said, with a soft chuckle. "I expect you will. But we’re going to be needing to move quickly, and I doubt that you’re going to be able to hold onto those boys of yours for long at the speed we’re going to be moving. So, I’d suggest you let us strap them on; both so you’ll at least have your hands free to defend them if it comes down to that, and so you won’t run the risk of crushing them if we get into a tight spot."

"I accept your reasoning," their Teknobot said.

So, as some of his men found some good, strong ropes for those lads to be slung in while they were all moving through the corridors of the Space Ring on their way to the fighters they were meant to be retrieving for the Military’s next "glorious" operation, and as he and his demolition expert Daine Wilson strapped those lads onto their giant metal-man, and as the others worked to pack their gear into a makeshift sling on the metal-man’s back, Miles smiled slightly. Reaching out, he gently gripped the twins’ clasped hands, tightening their grasp on each other since it had come a little loose while the two of them were being moved. With that done, he settled his helmet more firmly on his head, positioning the mic squarely in front of his mouth but leaving it inactive for the moment.

"All right Raiders, let’s party!"

A short, rousing cheer went up from his commandos; they might have been in the midst of a fight for their lives, but even the best of soldiers would be crushed under the weight of their duty if they constantly reminded of it every step of the way, so it was the job of any good commanding officer to keep their morale up by not reminding them too constantly about just what they might be facing next. Any good soldier, and his were some of the best, knew that in any case.

As they moved down the wide corridor, eventually coming to an empty elevator shaft – the car having long since been destroyed by the Spider-crabs, but it would have been too much of a liability to use in any case – he directed his people to enter the shaft so they could all move onto the next part of their mission. The ascent packs on their suits ballooned out, making them resemble nothing so much as a team of parachutists who had decided to practice their hobby in what had become one of the most dangerous environments in near-Earth space.

When the Teknobot joined them in their ascent, Miles was reminded of his earlier resolve to name the thing. Looking the twins’ hulking, man-shaped protector over, he was at first tempted to christen the thing Goliath, or to name it after one of the Titans of Greek myth. Or maybe to name the metal-man Cerberus, since those two lads had it pretty well leashed and Saber in particular looked almost demonic when he transformed; but no, neither of those lads was a demon, no matter what they might look like inside that armor of theirs, and he didn’t want to give their guardian a name with the wrong kind of connotations.

Besides, seeing the two of them dangling from their harness, long black hair hiding their faces from view, it was all but impossible to think of those lads as anything but human.

He hadn’t really known just what he’d been expecting, when he’d seen those two oversized armored apparitions astride that giant metal-man that acted as both their guardian and a form of transport for the both of them, but it hadn’t been the pair of young boys that he had seen coming out of that armor. In particular, he hadn’t expected the almost demonic-looking red-on-black armored superhero to reveal himself to be a paler-skinned, good-humored, laid-back counterpart to his red-on-white armored elder twin brother. When he’d found out that they _were_ brothers, he’d been expecting Slade’s protectiveness, but Saber’s easy acceptance of the same had come as a welcome surprise.

Some younger brothers, he knew all too well, wouldn’t have been nearly as sanguine about their older sibling’s desire to protect them; he’d known some of those in his time, too, and it had never seemed to end well for either of them.

As he watched the Teknobot ascend along with them, the metal-man’s rockets raising him up as slowly as if he and his precious cargo weighed no more than a sack of feathers, Miles came to a decision as to what name he would give to that guardian of theirs. Something from Greek myth, though not the first things that had come to his mind, but something that properly expressed not only just who this metal-man was, but who and what those superhero twins were, too.

"‘Teknobot’," he scoffed. "It’s too impersonal. A robot that can think and talk is more than just a machine. What _you_ need is a name. And, since you fly." Well, that was _one_ of the reasons he’d thought of it, but if the machine wanted him to explain all of them, he would have to wait until this battle of theirs was over; and he would have to ask, just like anyone else. "From now on, your name is Pegas."

"This name, "Pegas", what does it signify?"

"It’s short for Pegasus, a horse who had wings." The companion to various monster-slayers from Greek tales, or so he’d read.

"I approve this name: I am Pegas."

"So you are," he said softly, with a small smile as they rose up toward the top of the shaft. Then, deciding that he might as well find out something more about this metal-man he’d just given a proper sort of name, he made up his mind to continue the conversation. "So, you talk. Can you sing?"

"What is this "sing"?"

So, he wanted a demonstration, did he? Well, Miles never _had_ been one to refuse an honest request when it was made of him, and this was just the kind of moment for the song he always seemed to have in mind, lately: " _Bold soldier boy, you leave your home and hearth today..._ "

There was more to the song, of course, but he was surprised enough by the fact that those superhero twins had just woken up, to say nothing of the fact that Slade was currently demanding answers from him, that he trailed off before he could even get through the first verse. His gaze drifted over to Saber, who was being uncommonly silent for the kind of man he had seemed to be when the three of them had met for the first time, and he saw a bit more ice in those blue eyes of his than he was particularly comfortable with. Slade was the one most people would tend to watch out for, he thought, since the elder brother seemed to always put himself front and center when the two of them went anywhere, but Saber would have to have had some skill of his own since the two of them were spoken of as being clear equals in combat.

And, given the way the lad was looking at him, he wasn’t particularly pleased.

"Why did you knock us out, O’Roarke?" Slade demanded, after he had exchanged a speaking glance and a tight squeeze of the hand with Saber. "We came here to help you!"

"I’ll say one thing for you lads: you’ve both got a hell of a constitution. To my knowledge, there’s never been anyone exposed to a graviton field who’s managed to regain consciousness in less than three hours."

And, given the fact that it had only been only five minutes over _one_ hour since those lads had been exposed to the field, that was definitely something to write home about.

"You didn’t answer my question," the lad almost snarled, his scarring making his glare look all the fiercer; the way all facial-scars seemed to do, in fact.

"It was because O’Roarke’s Raiders don’t depend on anyone but each other, son," he said, casting his gaze over the twins again; Saber seemed to have settled back down, or maybe the lad was just being patient. He didn’t know either of them quite well enough to make those kinds of deductions just yet. "But, since you, your brother, and Pegas have already come here, I suppose I’ll just have to work with you three."

"Pegas?" the two of them echoed; the first thing that Saber had actually said since he’d put the lad down for his little nap.

"Saber and I came here on our own," Slade continued, as his younger brother lapsed back into silence. Clearly, the lad _was_ waiting for something. "And _I_ definitely don’t know anyone named Pegas."

"I should think _you’d_ know him better than anyone," he said, giving the elder of the two lads a wide grin. "Isn’t that right, Pegas?"

"Affirmative!"

Lifting his mini-computer, programmed with the location of the high-speed fighters they were all here for, he saw the bright blips on the screen that meant that all of them would soon be staring down the throat of another legion or two of those damned Spider-crabs. "You lads had better suit-up. We’re going to have company soon."

"Right," he heard Slade say. "On it." Was Saber’s response.

"Teknobot!"

"I am Pegas!"

Miles found himself smiling; and Saber actually laughed aloud. "I think you just got _told_ , big brother," the lad said.

"Oh sure, _mock_ my short-term memory," Slade retorted. "Sorry about the mix-up," the lad continued, and Miles could tell that he was directing that to Pegas. "Let’s try that again. Pegas, power on!"

"Affirmative!"

"Tekno-power!" Saber shouted; Miles, curious about why one of the lads would use Pegas and one of them wouldn’t, turned his attention back to the superhero twins.

Saber was glowing like the heart of a star, arcs of red lightning snapping through the crystal-cage that had surrounded him once before when he had shed that armored suit of his. Miles was fairly sure that, if he could have seen inside that chamber that Slade had just jumped head-long into, he would have seen just the same kind of thing as he was seeing with Saber; maybe it would have been in green, to match the lad’s eyes, but he doubted it would have been different in any respect that had actually mattered. When the both of their transformations had finished, the crystal-cage around Saber bursting apart at the same time as Slade rose out of the top of Pegas’ interior, Miles was decidedly impressed by what he had just seen.

Their chances, at least, had gotten a great deal better than they had been earlier; and, given the attitude of these two lads, Miles thought that he could even tolerate this forced partnership of theirs.

The both of them drew weapons out of some strange, glowing ports in their shoulders, and Slade connected the two halves of his into the same kind of long, double-ended staff-type weapon that his younger brother was wielding. "All right, lads: it’s party time! And our guests aren’t going to be very friendly! Let’s move out!" Slamming down the handle that would open the shielded doors in front of them, he let his men and the twins move into the next section of the Space Ring.

A group of them formed up around Slade and Pegas, who had transformed back into that flying-platform shape of his, while he and the rest took up positions in the rear with Saber. The lad was obviously aiming to watch his older brother’s back, just as any good soldier would have done in the field, and he could hardly let the lad stand alone after that kind of a gesture. "Heads-up, lads! They’re on the move, and heading straight for us!"

They came into visual-range shortly after that, and he tucked away his mini-computer and quickly grabbed the pulse-rifle strapped to his back. Sure, it couldn’t kill those oversized, hideous beasties directly, but it _could_ stagger and disorient them badly enough that they would rush headlong into each other. Those nasty, pointed feet of theirs, driven by their mad flailing, would more often than not finish the job.

Now, however, with those superhero twins along for the ride, more of those damned beasties were dying than not; and soon the whole lot of them had been cleared. There would be more of them on the way, of course, since whatever supplies these Radam were drawing on never seemed to run out, the way that everything on Earth seemed to be running out at the moment, but it was still a damned satisfying sight to see.

"You lads aren’t so bad at this," he said, not knowing if either of them would be able to hear him, but feeling the need to say something all the same. When he heard Saber’s amused chuckle sounding over his radio, he grinned.

"Well, we’ve had a lot of practice," the lad said, turning away from the corpse of a Spider-crab that he’d just decapitated.

"And they _do_ say that practice makes perfect," he said, still grinning slightly. It wasn’t really a time for tomfoolery, though, and with all the Spider-crabs in the area dead, this was likely the best chance he would have position-check. "All right, onto the next section, Raiders!" he said, directing them hard right from their current location.

There were more of those damned Spider-crabs in their way of course, but Slade and Saber were on top of them before he could even give the order to his people to move forward. The two lads moved together almost like they could see out of each other’s eyes; he’d often heard that twins were one soul that had been divided to inhabit two bodies, and with these lads that seemed to actually be true. They even seemed to react to each other’s pain; when they were facing in different directions, no less.

When Slade was knocked from Pegas’ back, with Saber a few feet away dealing with a pair of Spider-crabs that had tried to pin him down under their sheer bulk, the lad didn’t even look back over his shoulder. He just hurled that lance-like, bladed staff of his as if it was some kind of giant, killer Frisbee, caught it as if it were the world’s largest boomerang, and then rushed the Spider-crabs gathering around his brother like some out of control locomotive. Miles had to admit, it was a sight to inspire awe.

No wonder the Space Knights had rallied around these lads.

His bladed staff, like that of his brother, was almost a blur in Saber’s hands as he and Slade cut through the ranks of Spider-crabs in front of them. Soon enough, this new lot were just as dead as the old ones.

"We’ll cover your flank," Slade said, as he stepped past a watchful Saber and a looming Pegas, with a comradely touch on his brother’s shoulder. "Your people should get going now."

"Right," he said, feeling a swell of respect for these two; it took a lot of heart to put yourself on the line for soldiers you didn’t even know, to say nothing of the fact that he was putting his younger brother in the line of fire in spite of his clear protectiveness of the lad. "A Team, to the hangars! B Team stays with me!"

"No need to split up your squad, O’Roarke; Slade and I can handle things here! You just make sure all those ships are all right, and we’ll meet you at the hangars."

"You heard the man!" he said, flashing the lads and their large protector a thumbs-up. "Let’s go!"

0010010100

As Miles O’Roarke and his soldiers moved off into the Space Ring on their way to the hangars and the high-speed space craft they were going to liberate from them, Slade turned his attention back to the placid-looking corridor in front of them. Just as it started filling up with Spider-crabs again.

"Pegas, prepare for mêlée-combat!" he ordered.

"Roger," his Teknobot responded, as it started firing its gattling-cannons at the Spider-crabs that had begun to show up.

Once Saber had finished off the last of the Spider-crabs that had been blocking _his_ path, he jumped onto the Teknobot, or Pegas; and he should _really_ start getting used to calling it that, now, since the A.I. seemed to really like that name, for some reason or other, and if he was going to continue working so closely with it the way he’d done for these past couple months, he would have to respect its wishes.

Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t take at least _one_ page from Saber’s book: "I’m glad you’re named after a _flying_ horse."

"Why is that?" Pegas; there, he was getting the hang of it already, asked.

"You talk about as well as you fly," he said, chuckling. "O’Roarke could’ve named you Mr. Ed."

_ [And you tease me about  _ my _interest in classic television, big brother.]_

_ [That’s different,] _ he said, with a smirk for his younger twin.

_ [You know, at least the old shows  _ I _liked were in_ color _.]_ There was a moment of mental silence, during which Slade scanned the corridor in front of them for more Spider-crabs; you never really knew when more of those things were going to show up. _[Oh, and if you start singing the opening song, I swear I’m going to smack you.]_

Now really, who could resist a lead-in like _that_? _[_ A horse is a horse, of course- _]_ He didn’t feel it when Saber’s hand impacted his armor, likely on the back of his head since that was the traditional place for an annoyed swat, but he definitely _heard_ the clang as Saber’s armored hand impacted with his armored body somewhere.

_ [You asked for that, Slade.] _

_ [Yeah, sure; pick on your older brother,] _ he retorted, looking over his left shoulder and flashing one of his green eyes in a wink. _[I don’t even know why I even let you ride on Pegas with me in the first place.]_

_ [Idle threats, big brother,]  _ Saber retorted; they both laughed.

Happily enough, they made it to the hangar without another encounter with any of the roaming groups of Spider-crabs that he had been expecting to be patrolling the Space Ring. Maybe they’d gotten lucky, and all of them had died in the previous engagements. It wasn’t likely, not with their luck being what it was, but it was a nice thought to have in any case. O’Roarke was even singing again; Slade picked up on it when he got close enough to be able to pick up transmissions from the commandos’ comm. units.

It wasn’t like hearing Saber sing, since his brother’s voice was higher-pitched and a bit lighter than O’Roarke’s, but it was nice all the same.

Looking around at all of the commandos, as they prepared the high-speed fighters for the launch back to Earth, Slade breathed a soft sigh of relief. At least _this_ one mission had gone off without too much of a hitch; he was so tired of failing lately. A long time ago, his younger brother – under a different name, but no less his brother – had named him Blessed Protector. 

And, even though the name _had_ been a reference to an old TV show, he’d appreciated the sentiment; Saber had always trusted him, and he in turn strove to be worthy of that.

Spotting O’Roarke at last, he guided Pegas over to the man, passing over and by the piles of rubble that the Radam’s attack had left scattered around the hangar. Slowing until he was moving at just above walking speed, or more of a stroll, really, Slade looked around. He tried not to see the bodies; there always seemed to be bodies drifting around in the Space Ring, no matter where you went.

More of the Radam’s work; just another reason to hate them.

"Oh, it’s you lads," O’Roarke said, as he turned around. He was standing in front of another one of the bodies that Slade was trying so hard not to notice, so Slade focused his attention on the man himself.

"I want you to know that I consider it an honor to have been able to have fought alongside you, sir," he said.

"That goes for me, too," Saber said, with a sincerity that most people were surprised to find that he was actually capable of; Saber _did_ have hidden depths, of course, everyone did, but Saber just tended to _keep_ them hidden. "Your people are some of the most capable, determined soldiers I’ve had the chance to deal with since this whole mess started. You definitely deserve your reputations."

"I can really see why you and your people have successfully completed so many missions," Slade continued softly.

O’Roarke’s bitter chuckle, coming right on the heels of what he thought the man would have considered a compliment, made him blink twice in sheer surprise. "Successful? Would you still be calling it that, I wonder, if your young brother had died defending you?"

That... wasn’t a question he’d been expecting at all, and it felt for a moment as if all the breath in his lungs had left; even in spite of the fact that he didn’t actually _use_ his lungs when he was in anything but the most desperate, pitched battles. Or when he was in incredible pain, but he didn’t like to think too much about _that_. For obvious reasons.

He must have reached back for Saber’s hand, both because he felt slight pressure through the gauntlet of his armor, and because O’Roarke looked at where his left hand had been resting with a small, bittersweet smile. "I didn’t think so." O’Roarke looked back up at him, and Slade had the odd, almost unsettling feeling that the man was actually looking right through his armor, right into Slade’s own, human eyes. "I lost three men today; three fine young men, whose families won’t ever get to see them again. Of course, we decimated the enemy and achieved our objective, so the Military would definitely call this mission of ours a success. But do you think those three families would feel that way? War isn’t _numbers_ , it’s _people_. Don’t either of you lads ever forget that."

He’d spoken too soon; it _was_ another failure on his part. It sometimes felt like he was cursed, but the curse always seemed to miss; never hitting _him_ like it was supposed to, but always buzzing right past him on its way to hurt everyone around him. Everyone who had nestled themselves into his heart, or even people who he just felt that he could respect. Of course, maybe _that_ was his curse: to always watch the people he loved be hurt, and to never quite be in time to help them.

"You did your best, sir," he said, a little thickly because of the lump in his throat that he’d just swallowed; even with all of his power, he could barely manage to keep _Saber_ safe. "And, despite everything that happened today, I think you _are_ a success. As a soldier, and as a man."

"Thanks," O’Roarke said, with a short, self-depreciating chuckle. "And thanks for listening to the ramblings of an old soldier who’s feeling a little sorry for himself."

"Believe me, I can understand the feeling," Saber said, and Slade looked back over his shoulder at his brother as Saber leaned forward with his arm on his left shoulder. "You wanted to keep _all_ of your people safe, and it hurts you to see that you couldn’t. You’re like my brother that way."

"Am I, now?" O’Roarke asked, even as Slade himself laughed in rueful recognition.

"You know, he’s right," Slade said, lacing his fingers together with Saber’s and squeezing enough so that they could both feel it. "I mean, I try to keep the people who depend on me safe; but I don’t-"

"You do your best, oh Blessed Protector," Saber said, cutting him off as he squeezed Slade’s own fingers just that much tighter. "It’s enough."

Smiling slightly, all the while marveling at the way Saber seemed to instinctively know what to say to make him feel better about himself, Slade began to hear the rumblings that he now knew proceeded a Spider-crab attack from underground. Two of the monstrous, mutant space insects burst through the floor just in front of them, and Slade instantly let go of Saber’s hand so he could bring his own teknolance back to bear. He felt the slight surge of energy from Saber that meant that his brother had drawn his own teknolance again.

"Heads up, Captain," he said, his left hand tightening into a fist. "Looks like they just sent in reinforcements. You and your people should get going now. This mission’s not over yet; we’ve still got to get those fighters back to Earth."

"I’m on my way," O’Roarke said, kicking the ground and pushing himself toward the lead ship. "Good luck out there, lads."

"Thanks," Slade said, nodding to him.

_ [I’ll meet back up with you when the ships launch,] _ Saber said, and Slade looked back at his younger brother as he leaped off of Pegas and rushed to engage another force of Spider-crabs that had just knocked down one of the far walls. _[Don’t get into too much trouble without me, all right?]_

_ [All right, little brother,] _ he said, smiling wryly. _[You try to stay out of trouble, too.]_

Saber laughed. _[Don’t I always?]_

Shaking his head in brief, fond exasperation, Slade raised his teknolance and directed Pegas at the group of Spider-crabs nearest to his own position. Slashing them apart with his teknolance, Slade made sure to keep Saber in sight; both since he worried about his younger brother, and because they were going to meet back up when the fighters finally launched. Something that they were all clearly preparing to do.

_ [Saber!] _ he called, even as his younger brother turned to deal with the Spider-crabs that had started to bash their way through the observation windows that made up the ceiling of the launch bays. _[They’re heading out; we’ve got to go!]_

_ [I’ll be right with you, big brother,] _ Saber said, powering his thrusters and jetting back to land just behind him on Pegas.

_ [Good to have you back with me, little brother,] _ he said, reaching back to squeeze Saber’s hand.

Saber chuckled, low and warm. _[Yeah; right back at you, big brother.]_

As more Spider-crabs appeared, directly in front of the fighters they were trying to protect, Slade gave Pegas the order to fire. The lasers burned out the monster’s lowest set of eyes, blinding it and making it miss the strike it had been setting up. Breathing a bit more easily, though he knew this battle wouldn’t be over until he and Saber had managed to guide all of these fighters back down to the Earth, Slade moved determinedly toward O’Roarke’s fighter.

They’d probably have to deal with the AEM again, and he might even end up punching one of them again, since they were a bunch of insensitive morons.

Still, it would be good to get back home; to find out how Star and Ringo had faired during their own trip back to Earth, and to get some rest and food. All of that would have to wait for later, though. There was still a few more things that he and Saber had to do before they were done; they had promises to keep, and miles to go before they could sleep.

"Bandits, dead ahead." He reported, tapping O’Roarke’s comm. unit. "You fly under them, Captain, and Saber and I will take them out."

"Are you sure you lads can handle it?"

He chuckled. "Oh ye of little faith," he said, grinning slightly as he leapt from Pegas to land atop the fighter, he and Saber spreading out so that they wouldn’t be standing in each other’s field of fire. "Just keep flying."

_ [Ready, Saber?]  _ he asked, already having begun the charging process to fire his Tekno-bolt, his pauldrons raised in preparation.

_ [Ready, brother.] _

He could feel the contained power crackling between the two of them, and when one of O’Roarke’s people warned them that there was only fifteen seconds left before they impacted the two Spider-crabs in front of them, he assured the man that what _they_ were preparing wouldn’t take nearly that long. When the energies within his body couldn’t be contained anymore, Slade fired at the same moment as his brother.

Saber’s Tekno-bolt was different than his, being made up of six individual streams of energy that could either scatter out to hit different targets or be focused all on the same spot to do more damage, where his was just two beams that tended to wrap around each other. They _could_ be directed outward, they just wouldn’t be able to hit nearly as many targets as Saber’s. Now, though, with the bright blue energies of Saber’s Tekno-bolt wrapping around the emerald green energy beam of his own, Slade felt a definite sense of satisfaction as he watched the Spider-crabs in front of them be wiped out of existence.

"Well done, superheroes," O’Roarke said, with what sounded like a slight chuckle. "Ships two and three: report. Is everyone all right?"

Slade took only a vague sort of notice as the other commandos made their reports, instead looking ahead to make sure that nothing else tried to jump out at them, but he was relieved to hear that there hadn’t been any further loss of life. Even the fighters they had been sent out to protect had come through all right. It wasn’t so bad a day after all, even in spite of how it had begun.

Even in spite of their losses.

When O’Roarke started singing again, after teasing his people a bit about making it back down to Earth in their "flashy flying machines", he was almost surprised to hear Saber joining in. Sure, _Cain_ had liked to sing, but he’d never really had a taste for ballads like the one O’Roarke was singing; Cain’s taste tended to veer towards pop music, at least so far as singing was concerned, sometimes he had even danced to it.

His brother had enjoyed classical music for just sitting back and listening to, or for when he just wanted something on in the background while he exercised or did something else.

Then again, it almost seemed like Saber wasn’t quite aware that he was doing it; singing just for the sake of it, and completely oblivious to everything else around him. Smiling, Slade decided that he would keep watch for both of them; he _wanted_ Saber to have moments like this, moments where his younger brother didn’t have to keep watch for all of the Radam’s vicious creatures, whether they were Spider-crabs or Teknomen, and could just be himself. The duet continued, and Slade let the song wash over him as he kept an eye out for any Spider-crabs that might have escaped his and Saber’s combined Tekno-bolts.

He was glad that there seemed to be none, and when O’Roarke and Saber wound down, finishing their duet and falling silent, he reached back to clasp his brother’s hand as they continued on their way back down to Earth.

"You know, Saber my lad," O’Roarke said, with an amused chuckle. "You have a very pretty voice; you ever thought about joining up with a boys’ choir?"

"In my copious amounts of spare time," Saber said, after a short hesitation that Slade was sure no one else had noticed.

O’Roarke laughed. "Fair point. Though it _is_ kind of a shame; a man with your skills would find himself in pretty high demand, I should think."

Saber laughed, then. "Well, my nascent singing career aside, how are things shaping up?"

"Well enough," O’Roarke said, sounding pleased enough that Slade’s tension began to ease slightly. "None of those nasty Radam beasties are showing up anywhere on my scopes, and we’re just about to make our descent into the lower atmosphere."

"Hey, boys!"

Slade, hearing Ringo’s voice for the first time since they had been forced to separate by the swarm of Spider-crabs that had ambushed them on their way to the Space Ring, smiled and chuckled softly. "I never thought I’d be _this_ happy to hear from you, Ringo."

"Real cute, Slade," the man shot back, sounding amused, though he was obviously trying to sound annoyed. "You know, we _could_ just turn this ship around and leave you and Saber to hitch a ride back home with the commandos here."

"We’d be happy for the company," O’Roarke said, sounding pleased but clearly also mocking Ringo at the same time. "These superheroes of yours have done you credit today; you should be proud of them. And as for you, lads: you have the thanks of O’Roarke’s Raiders, and that’s not something given out lightly."

"We’ll keep that in mind, Captain," Slade said solemnly, even as he signaled Pegas over so he and Saber could climb back on top of it. "Again, it was an honor to work with you and your people. I hope you all make it through this war all right."

"Thanks, lad," O’Roarke said, enough genuine warmth in his voice that Slade found himself almost grinning. "And the same holds true from us: you lads take care of each other, and make sure that the both of you make it through this mess alive."

"Yeah, we’ll do that," Saber said, as Slade himself guided Pegas into the Blue Earth’s main air lock. "Good bye, Miles O’Roarke; Godspeed."

"To us all, Saber my lad."

Looking back one last time, before the air lock doors closed and sealed him and Saber into the Blue Earth, Slade raised his right arm and waved to O’Roarke. He knew the man could see him, since the Blue Earth was pacing his ship as they both descended through the upper-atmosphere, and with his enhanced vision in this form Slade could see O’Roarke raising his own right hand in greeting. He waved, and felt Saber doing the same from just behind him, until the air lock doors had sealed up completely, Slade breathed a sigh of relief. It was nice to have done something mostly right for a change, something that he didn’t have to look back on in horror, or numb shock at what he’d seen.

He would have liked to have more days like this, but he honestly doubted that was going to happen; he and Saber just weren’t that lucky.

As Pegas rose back into the main hold, taking him and Saber up with it, Slade let himself relax a bit. He could never _really_ let down his guard, since no one ever knew just when the next Radam attack was going to happen, but he could kind of stand down to a general alert, as he’d heard people say in the Space Knights. Feeling a weight pressing against his back, Slade turned to get a look back over his shoulder.

Saber was the only one standing close enough to him to be able to lean against him that way, and when Slade looked back, he found that it was indeed his younger brother leaning up against him; something seemed a bit off, though.

"Saber?"

"Tired," his younger brother said, after a short, confused noise; the kind someone would make when they were awakened suddenly from a nap that hadn’t been quite long enough.

Saber’s armor started glowing then, the familiar crystal-field enveloping his younger brother as the turquoise light of his transformation erased all his features from view. When Saber’s transformation faded entirely, Slade turned and caught his younger brother in his arms before he could fall down onto Pegas’ back.

"Slade, five minute warning," Ringo’s voice came over the comm., drawing Slade’s attention away from what might be happening to Saber. "If you’re not transformed out of that suit of yours already, you’d better be doing it now."

"I hear you, Ringo," he said, stepping off the platform that held Pegas so he could set Saber safely down on the deck. "Pegas, prepare to reverse tekno-transformation," he said, already starting to feel the dull, heavy weight of the fatigue that Saber had succumbed to earlier pressing down on him. "Open interlock-chamber."

"Affirmative," Pegas said, his voice slightly softer than Slade was used to.

"Thanks," he said wearily, climbing into the interlock-chamber and feeling the usual rush of departing energy as he transformed back into his human form.

He managed to make it a few steps out of Pegas’ back, over to where he had set Saber down, before the weariness caught up with him and he stumbled to a halt. Slade almost thought that he could feel something holding him up, and then warm flesh gently pressed against his own, but by then he was honestly too far-gone to really care.

101010001

When they were all finally back on terra firma, and he had finished guiding the Blue Earth to a full and complete stop, the first thing that Ringo did once he’d deactivated all of the ship’s various systems was to head for the main air lock to check up on those Wonder Twins of theirs. Slade had sounded a bit worried, though anyone else would have just noticed that the kid was tired, and Ringo suspected that he knew why.

There was really only one thing that could get Slade worked up like that, and where you found one of them, you would always find the other.

With that thought in mind, Ringo headed back into the main air lock to check on their boys. What he found in there was strange; oh, it wasn’t the fact that the Wonder Twins were resting in the arms of the Teknobot, the boys curled up together like a pair of oversized kittens, since that was what they always did when they got back from one of their many fights against the Radam. But the Teknobot _singing_ while they rested in its large, metal hands?

_ That  _ was something new.

Now, Ringo was perfectly aware that standing just inside the air lock, gawking like some slack-jawed yokel wasn’t going to get anything done, either with respect to the Wonder Twins or even to his other duties. He couldn’t really help it, though: the _Teknobot_ was _singing_ , for Christ’s sake, if that wasn’t a good reason for a little slack-jawed gawking, nothing was.

"Hey, Ringo," Star started to say, her footsteps on the deck mostly covered by the sound of the _singing Teknobot_. "I was- what in the world?"

"That’s pretty much what I was thinking," he said, chuckling at the dumbfounded expression on Star’s face. "Hey, Teknobot? Would you mind stopping that?" he asked. "There are people trying to sleep here."

"Pegas will stop," the Teknobot said.

He was almost tempted to repeat the name, just so he could see if the Teknobot had actually just named itself or if that was just some kind of fluke, but there were other things that he had to take care of at the moment. Two other things, to be exact.

"Thanks," he said, walking up to the Teknobot as it moved its large right hand off of the Wonder Twins.

Gently separating Slade from his brother, he let Star take Saber’s weight as the kid began to slip out of the Teknobot’s grasp. Gathering Slade up into his arms, Ringo nodded and thanked the Teknobot for taking care of their boys; these kids had the weight of the world on their shoulders, it was important that they had people to take care of them when they weren’t quite in fighting form. And, in these hours after they came out of the fights that required them to transform; which was pretty much all of them, now that Ringo thought about it, they needed their support staff more than ever.

As he carried Slade out of the Blue Earth, Ringo heard the Teknobot start singing again. _Well, no one can ever say that life with the Space Knights is dull, that’s for certain,_ he mused, with a soft enough chuckle that he wasn’t worried about waking Slade. That kid slept like the dead after a fight, just like Star had reported his brother doing. When they made it to Slade’s quarters, the kid still dozing in his arms, Ringo maneuvered himself over to the keypad and awkwardly entered the code to open Slade’s door, then turned and carried the kid inside to set him down on his bed.

Removing Slade’s boots, which he would have done for any of the other Space Knights who he’d carried to their rooms after they’d conked out somewhere, he tossed one of the kid’s blankets over him and left a bit more quietly than he’d come.

111010100

When he woke up, not feeling quite as rested as he usually did, Slade wondered for a moment if he would have the chance to just roll over and fall back to sleep _this_ time. He didn’t think even _his_ luck could be bad enough to force him to face a Spider-crab attack after having just barely recovered from his and Saber’s last battle. Still, he’d had to transform three times yesterday, so there was always that chance.

However, when he heard his door-chime, rather than either the general- or emergency-alerts, Slade allowed himself to relax just a bit. Yawning, still wanting a bit more sleep and therefore just a little unsteady on his feet, Slade made his way to the door and opened it. Maggie and Saber were both there, and when he shot an inquiring look over her shoulder at Saber, his brother shrugged and rolled his eyes.

_ [Don’t look at  _ me _, brother. Maggie dragged me out of bed, too; didn’t even give me a reason for it.]_

Huffing slightly, not really annoyed enough for an actual sigh but still kind of irritated, Slade followed Maggie and Saber off to wherever they were going.

"What’s going on, Maggie?" he asked at last, when it had become obvious that the three of them were heading for the machine shop. "Is there something wrong with Pegas?"

"Who’s Pegas?" she asked, turning to look back over her shoulder at them.

"That’s the name that Captain O’Roarke gave the Teknobot," Saber said, before Slade had even opened his mouth to say something. "It’s pretty insistent on the name, so Slade and I have been trying to get used to using it. Well," his younger brother continued, with an amused grin aimed his way. "More Slade than me, of course."

"You know, that name _does_ kind of have a nice ring to it," Maggie said, a hand cupping her chin in what he figured was a habitual ‘thinking’ pose for her. "Still, that’s not really what I wanted to talk to you guys about. But, it’s really hard to explain, so it would probably be better if I just showed you."

"If you say so, Maggie," Saber said, as Slade himself tucked his hands into the pockets of his Space Knight vest.

As they made their way slowly closer to the machine shop, Slade began to hear a strange sound; it sounded almost like Pegas’ voice, but not in a way he’d ever heard it before. And, from the expression on Saber’s face when his younger brother had turned to look at him, he hadn’t either. So, something new, then; nothing that tripped his finely-tuned danger sense, but something they hadn’t dealt with yet all the same.

When they finally _did_ reach the machine shop, or actually quite a bit before then in his and Saber’s case, Slade heard just what was causing Maggie, and Mac he soon noticed, such confusion: Pegas was singing. Looking over at Saber, since his brother was laughing his head off over their link, he found that his little brother was actually managing to look perfectly composed in the face of this new development.

"Well, this is- unexpected," Saber said, only a slight quaver in his voice betraying how deeply, deeply amused he was by this whole thing.

"The Teknobot’s _speaking_ voice is bad enough," Mac said, with an expression of clear distaste. "But his singing is worse than an off-key bagpiper accompanied by a chainsaw."

As Saber finally laughed aloud, he saw Maggie turning an admonishing look on Mac out of the corner of his right eye. "Don’t call him Teknobot anymore: he prefers Pegas. You know, I _could_ delete the song from his memory, but to tell you the truth, I kinda like it."

"As far as I’m concerned, he can sing it as much as he wants," he said, as Saber smiled warmly, though still with a few hints of his earlier wry amusement. "He learned that song from a great man."

"Yeah," Saber said. "O’Roarke was one of the best." Gently squeezing his younger brother’s hand, Slade smiled.

"Captain O’Roarke is a great soldier," Maggie said, and Slade saw her turning to look over at him. "It’s a shame we don’t have more like him."

"It’s more than _that_ , Mags," Saber said, and he could _hear_ the warm smile in his younger brother’s voice. "Miles O’Roarke cared about his people, and he was willing to do whatever he had to to protect them. He’s kind of like the Commander, that way."

_ [I thought you said he was like  _ me _, brother,]_ he said, bumping Saber’s shoulder gently so his brother would know he was kidding.

_ [You, he, and the Commander all have that in common, brother,] _ Saber said, bumping his shoulder back.

"You know, this is the first time you lads have actually _respected_ anyone in the Military," Mac said. "It’s kind of strange to hear. Particularly coming from _you_ , Saber."

Saber laughed. "Well, it definitely helps that Miles isn’t the same kind of callous, uncaring bastard that everyone in the AEM seems to be intent on proving themselves to be."

"Welcome home, boys," Star said, and Slade looked up to see her and Ringo standing up on the railing overlooking the machine shop. "And congratulations; you two did a terrific job up there today."

"Jamison wants to see you both, on the double," Ringo said, still smiling but looking like he was trying to be at least a _little_ bit more professional. "The AEM might need you two to give them a hand on another mission."

"We’re ready," he said, as he and Saber moved to head back up the stairs.

Whatever else came, he and Saber would face it together; together, they were stronger than _anything_ the Radam could throw at them.


	11. Brothers Beware

As his heart began to beat faster, feeling like it was pounding in comparison to the slow, steady rate that he’d experienced during his time in his teknopod thus far, Spear began to feel the life slowly coming back to his body. He’d all but forgotten that he’d even _had_ a body over all this time; so much of Lord Darkon’s attention had been focused on his mind. Now, feeling sensation spreading downward from his neck to his shoulders, waking up the rest of his body as his blood began to circulate faster, Spear smiled and began to breathe more deeply.

His body was starting to feel warmer as his blood circulated faster, though really, it was just going back to its normal rate; but after so long in stasis – both inside his teknopod and inside the hyper-sleep chamber onboard the Argos – even his normal heart-rate felt like the result of running a marathon.

As his body slowly returned to full functionality, skin and muscles tingling in the wake of fresh blood flowing into them once again, Spear wiggled his fingers in the fluid that still held him suspended. As more life returned to his limbs, Spear began to unfold from the fetal position that all Teknomen were kept in while they were undergoing the Teknoprocess. His body still tingled something fierce, but the feeling was just like the times that one of his limbs had fallen asleep, so Spear welcomed the sensation as a prelude to his true awakening.

His fingers and toes brushed against the boundaries of the teknopod holding him, and Spear began to explore the boundaries of what had been his entire world ever since he had awakened as a Teknoman. The walls of the teknopod were soft, almost fleshy in the way they yielded to his touch; it was almost exactly like what he remembered of his infant siblings’ skin, all those years ago when they were young. These walls even had that same warmth; almost like a womb, which was really appropriate when you thought about it.

The just-awakened-from-a-long-sleep tingling in his body was beginning to subside now, allowing Spear to settle back down without feeling the need to pinch any nerves in an effort to make the sensation go away. Concentrating on his breathing, both to revive himself faster and to banish the last of the tingling in his limbs and body, Spear opened his eyes and looked out ahead; the healthy green glow of a viable teknopod greeted him.

Shara and Sam were still safe, still alive and waiting to take their respective places within Darkon’s ranks; he was glad to see that his youngest siblings were all right.

Then, just as he was beginning to settle back down, Spear began to notice a change in the fluid surrounding him. It was starting to thicken, becoming almost like jello that had been put in the refrigerator to set; strange, how such an esoteric place could serve to remind him of happy times back at home. As his body began to curl back up, almost of its own volition, Spear began to feel a strange warmth on his skin; it wasn’t the warmth of his own body, he knew, and as he opened his eyes to get a look at what might be happening to him, Spear saw strange, glowing, red lines tracing themselves onto his arms.

They moved up toward his shoulders, but even as they did, Spear found his eyes drifting closed once again; it felt like someone was putting a large, warm, heavy blanket over him, nice, but strange all the same.

101010001

When he met with Slade and Saber, explaining the specifics of their mission as it had been laid out to him during the briefing that he had attended during the end of the twins’ last mission, he could see a slight difference in the way the young men held themselves. They seemed to be more settled, more dedicated and sure of their purpose. Still, they also appeared as if they could have used a bit more sleep.

There wasn’t anything he could do about that, however, aside from to offer the two of them what support he could, and to hope that it would be enough.

"While your parts in this operation will be diversionary in nature, they are still vital to the success of the plan as a whole," he informed them, in response to Slade’s expression of annoyance.

"I know," the young man said, still appearing less than pleased with his appointed role.

He didn’t say anything more, nor did Saber, and so he dismissed them with orders to prepare themselves in whatever way they felt was best for them; whatever way would ensure that they were not only physically prepared for their roles in the upcoming operation, but mentally so as well. When Slade and his brother had left Comm. One, Jamison returned to perusing the files on the operation they were about to undertake.

He needed to know everything that this latest mission that his Space Knights had been assigned, both for his own peace of mind, and so that he would be able to give his people the most complete and hence useful information that he could. They would all need it, if they were to complete this mission successfully. He did not honestly believe that this alone would defeat the Radam, but it _would_ be an important first step.

110010001

_ [So, it looks like we’re  _ not _going to be working too closely with the Military,]_ Saber said, and Slade watched as his brother folded his arms behind his head and stretched his back. _[That’s good; O’Roarke notwithstanding, they’re a bunch of miserable, power-hungry bastards.]_

Chuckling softly, Slade slung his left arm around his younger brother’s shoulders as Saber dropped his own arms back to his sides. He felt his brother leaning into him, then wrapping his right arm around him in turn. _[So, since we have some free time before this new operation of ours commences, and since we’re both going to need to be at our best for this, what would you say to some breakfast, and a bit of light sparring?]_

_ [I wouldn’t say no, brother.] _

Answering Saber’s grin with one of his own, Slade unwrapped his arm from Saber’s shoulders as his brother did likewise, clasping his younger twin’s hand as the two of them made for the cafeteria. They quickly settled down at their usual table, with their usual plates piled high with food, and began methodically to eat.

Once they were finished, Slade took their trays and dishes over to the storage area so they could be washed and used again. Then, he and Saber left in the direction of the gym. Bumping his brother’s left shoulder as they fell into step with one another, Slade smiled as Saber clasped his hand again. They made it to the gym without running into anyone who was in their small circle of close friends, something that he was pleased with since he wanted to get in at least _some_ sparring with his brother before the two of them were lead off somewhere by one or more of their fellow Space Knights.

Stripping to his under-shirt while Saber did the same, Slade folded his shirt and vest and hung them over the side of the waist-high wall that bordered the sparring area on one side. Removing his boots, since this was just a friendly spar between brothers, Slade waited until Saber had gotten his own boots neatly outside of the sparring area, Slade took his stance and waited for his brother to make the first move.

Wearing a slight, amused smirk, Saber did just that.

00010010

When she had gone to look for the twins, Star hadn’t quite known what she would find them doing, but when she began to hear their voices drifting down the corridors, Star quickly turned to follow them back to their source. She quickly found that the twins had gone to the gym, and when she looked inside she found that the two of them were sparring.

Slade seemed to favor a more aggressive style, attacking his brother head-on and trying to strike him; by contrast, Saber seemed content to wait for his brother to come to him, using Slade’s own momentum to slam him into the ground, or just cause him to trip and go sprawling across the floor. It was kind of interesting, she reflected, how their fighting-styles reflected their personalities so well.

Slade _was_ really the more straightforward of the twins, while Saber always seemed to be looking for ways to work around whatever problems he faced.

Finally, the two of them finished their sparring, and Star walked into the gym; she hadn’t wanted to distract either of the twins while they were engaged in even this kind of tame, friendly sparring. Waiting until the twins had returned from cleaning themselves up, both of them wearing a new tank-top, Saber with his hands in his pockets and Slade with his left arm around his brother’s shoulders, she smiled as she walked over to meet them.

They were talking quietly, their voices low enough that she could only pick up a subdued mutter from their direction. She wasn’t going to try listening in, though, since the conversation was more than likely to be private. Waiting again, this time for one of the twins to take notice of her, Star smiled slightly as Saber looked her way.

"Oh, hey Star," he said, smiling at her in that rakish way he sometimes did; she was never quite sure if he was flirting with her or not, but she didn’t think he was serious.

Saber wasn’t really serious about anything; at least not when it didn’t involve the Radam, or someone trying to threaten his brother.

"Good morning, Saber," she said, smiling at him and then shifting her gaze to his brother. "Good morning, Slade." She smiled a bit wider when she said that part, but she didn’t think Slade noticed.

Although, if the sly look in his eyes was any indication, Saber noticed it.

"Come on," she said, before Saber could start to think too much about the way she had looked at his brother. "There’s something I want you to hear."

"All right," she heard Slade say, after she had turned to lead the twins to the secondary briefing room; the one that was used by the Space Knights in general rather than just Commander Jamison in particular.

They reached the room just as Ringo took the podium at the front of the room.

"All right, you jay birds, knock off the gab and listen up. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover before we launch."

"Likes to talk, doesn’t he?" Slade muttered.

"He’s got a lot to talk about," she said, ignoring the expression on Slade’s face and the way that Saber rolled his eyes. "He was brilliant in school; he could have done anything, but he joined the Space Knights."

"Make sure you’ve got your heads on straight out there. We’re going to be moving around on the Space Ring; now, the axial rotation of the station itself-"

"I remember this from twenty years ago, last time I was up there," an old man sitting toward the front of the room said, loudly enough that the entire room was able to hear him clearly; even her and the twins, standing just outside the doorway.

"Hey, Pops, you mind? This is important," Ringo said, pointing the man out so there couldn’t be any doubt about who he was talking to.

"I know," the old man said, looking up at Ringo as he spoke. "The axial rotation of the Space Ring is what makes the artificial gravity. In the outer sections, you’ll feel heavier."

"Yeah," Ringo said; he looked sheepish, scratching his head briefly the way he did when he’d been caught off guard. "So, you were up there twenty years ago, huh? I don’t suppose there’s anything _else_ you’d like to share with us?"

"Sure," the old man said, rising quickly from his seat to make for the podium; Ringo’s dumbfounded expression was obviously amusing the twins, or at least Saber, since he was snickering. Slade’s slightly amused "uh-oh" told her that Saber wasn’t the only one. He said something in a low tone to Ringo, but she didn’t quite catch it. "When you’re going into action where you’ve never been before, it’s best to listen to people who have. Now, are there any pilots here?"

"Yes. Uh, me," one of the youngest of the Space Knights in the room, rising out of his seat and standing stiffly at attention. "I’m fully qualified. As a pilot, I mean."

Most of the troopers in the room laughed at him; she thought that it was brave, for someone that young to put himself forward in front of so many people who weren’t likely to take him entirely seriously precisely _because_ of the age difference between them.

"Hey, what’re you laughing at?" the boy – young man, really – demanded, raising his fists and staring down the people who were laughing at him. "I’m just as good as any of you are. Probably even better!"

Star could still hear some of the disparaging remarks of the older pilots around him, and apparently she wasn’t the only one who wasn’t entirely pleased: Saber looked annoyed, and Slade had his eyes closed in what she suspected was the same emotion. Both twins sighed, Slade opening his eyes as she glanced back up at Ringo. He was speaking to the old man, smiling slightly as he did, though the words themselves were too quiet for her to hear.

"Good," the old man said, his hand on the young man’s right shoulder. "But _this_ isn’t going to be a simulation on our video screen, it’s the real thing." The old man pushed the young pilot gently back into his chair as he finished speaking.

"I know _just_ how real it is," the young pilot said forcefully, standing back up. " _Nothing’s_ going to keep me out of this fight!"

"Son, you’ve got guts; me, I respect that."

"Yessir," the young pilot said, saluting.

"Still," the old man went on, now clearly speaking to the room at large. "Just having guts isn’t going to be enough; we’ve also got to keep our heads and remember what it is we’re doing out there! There’s a job to do and we’re the ones to do it! Are you with me, men?!"

The room erupted in cheers from the pilots, while Ringo turned away, a hand to his head in obvious exasperation. Both of the twins seemed to find Ringo’s predicament funny, though as usual Saber was laughing more openly than Slade.

"And look, here’s the young men who are going to be watching our backs today," the old man said; she and the twins looked up, surprised. "Well, don’t just stand there, boys! Come on up here."

Looking at the twins, Star saw them glance at each other, shrug, and head into the briefing room. All of the pilots were clapping for them now; Saber was starting to grin, as he waved to them on his way to the front of the room. Slade was, as always, more reserved than his brother, but Star thought she could see a hint of a smile on his otherwise impassive face.

"So, how’d your pep-talk go, Ringo?" Saber asked, smiling wryly at the man in question.

"Real cute, Saber," Ringo said, giving Slade’s brother a companionable shove; Saber smirked at him.

"Now," the old man said, drawing the attention of the occupants of the room back to himself. "Just because we’re going to have their protection, that’s no call for recklessness; I’m sure we all have people we care about here on Earth, and I think that I speak for everyone here when I say that all of them would be devastated if anything happened to you up there. Whether the mission is completed or not, I won’t consider it a victory unless every one of us comes back safe and sound!"

There was a rousing cheer in response to that statement, and even Saber joined in with the applause; Slade just smiled and briefly squeezed his brother around the waist.

When Saber stepped up to the podium, the old man stepping back with an expression of interest on his face, Star wondered just what he was going to say. Saber had never seemed to be the type to make speeches; of course, Slade didn’t either, since he was always so quiet.

"He’s right, you know," Saber said, his gaze sweeping over the assembled pilots. "Just because Slade and I are going to be out there with you, that’s no reason to be reckless. My brother and I can’t be everywhere at once."

"Well said, Saber."

Star turned, watching as Commander Jamison came striding into the room.

"I certainly hope I’m not interrupting anything," the Commander said, in a tone that indicated he would be genuinely remorseful and apologize if he were, but that he also had important things to do.

"Of course not, Commander," the old man said, stepping back from the podium to allow the Commander to speak if he wanted.

The Commander stopped just short of the podium, however, taking in her, the twins, and Ringo with a single, sweeping look. "If the four of you are finished here, it’s time for us to leave."

"Right, sir," she said

They’d come to this part of the Space Knight Command Center to check up on their other pilots, and now that that was done with, it was time for them to return to the main hub of the Command Center and see to their own preparations. Even though they _were_ going to be just one part of a larger campaign, that didn’t mean that they could ignore their own preparations. They may not have been fighting alone this time, but that didn’t mean they could afford to be careless.

Too many people depended on them for that.

000101000

Opening the door and watching the Wonder Twins climb into the back of the Commander’s Jeep, Ringo wasn’t surprised to see Star settle herself into the seat next to Slade. She was clearly starting to have feelings for the big lug, something that Saber had also clearly noticed, if the sly, under-the-eyelashes looks he’d been shooting his brother whenever Slade and Star were together and neither of them were looking in his direction were any indication. Settling into the passenger seat as the Commander himself sat down in the driver’s seat, Ringo decided that he would have a few words with the kid when they had a few moments alone.

It was probably going to have to wait until after the mission, though; the Wonder Twins were going to have to load up on calories if they were going to be any good in the coming fight, and they always sat together when they ate.

"You’ll be primarily a diversionary force," the Commander informed them all. "It won’t be easy, but it’s crucial to the overall attack."

"No problem," he said, turning to wink over his left shoulder at Saber; the kid grinned back at him. "Piece of cake."

"We’ll need to get them to concentrate their defenses on us," Star said, clearly thinking hard about what was going to be happening today.

"Well, that’s what they usually do when they see us," Saber said, with a rueful sort of chuckle. "For some reason, none of the Radam seem to like us very much."

Laughing, Ringo almost missed the beginning of what Slade had started saying. "We’re a lot better at _real_ fighting than this diversionary stuff," the kid grumbled.

Ringo resisted the urge to reach back and give Saber’s brother a good smack upside the head. "Listen, Slade, if you want to be a cowboy, you’re going to have to get that Teknobot of yours a saddle."

Saber’s laugh and Star’s soft chuckle pretty much drowned out the annoyed noise that Slade made, and he grinned. There wasn’t anymore conversation as the Commander’s Jeep continued on its way back to the main hub of the Command Center, so Ringo just continued to watch the elevated road as it passed by beneath them. It was really kind of ingenious, he thought, the way the group of mesas that made up the Command Center had been linked together by these elevated roadways.

He didn’t get much of a chance to see them, not with having to spend so much time in the Command Center’s main hub, but every time he did he was struck again by just how much work it must have taken to lay out the roadways that connected each of the Command Center’s individual hubs. Not something that could have been done in a day, or even a few weeks; even with the level of technology that humanity had possessed back when the Command Center was being built, it still couldn’t have been easy. There wasn’t much of a chance of them building something like it again anytime soon; not with all of the damage that the Radam and their army of monsters had done to their infrastructure.

Not to mention the sharp reduction that the Earth’s population had been going through ever since the invasion had begun, seven months of near-constant attacks: lasers, Spider-crabs, and Teknomen raining down from the sky had _not_ been good for the general public; what was _left_ of it, anyway.

Sighing at the morbid turn his thoughts had taken, the one they always seemed to take lately, Ringo looked ahead to the Command Center’s main hub. They were nearly there, and that meant that this new mission of theirs was just about to get underway. Right after the Wonder Twins got the sustenance they needed to fight at their best, of course.

1010011110

Within the confines of Darkon’s damaged ship, under the debris from his crash-landing on the dark side of the Moon, one of the teknopods rippled and bulged outward. Within this teknopod, the Teknoman who had been named Spear opened his covered eyes as his pod burst upon the floor of Darkon’s ship. The thickened fluid that had sustained him while he had been undergoing the transformation process evaporated even as it fell to the deck in a sodden mass.

His armor dripping with still-evaporating pseudo-amniotic fluid, Spear rose slowly to his armored, pointed feet. Tilting his head back as his eyes adjusted to the level of light, or rather the lack of it, within this chamber of Lord Darkon’s ship, Teknoman Spear took his first deep, full breaths of oxygen. True, it was not the oxygen of the outside world, but it served to clear his lungs of the last of the fluid that had once accumulated within them all the same.

"Spear," the deep, powerful voice of his Warlord echoed through the room.

It was the first time that Spear had heard it in the waking world, and yet the voice was already intimately familiar to him. "Yes, Lord Darkon," he said, his lungs clear of the fluid at last. "I am awake."

"You are the foremost of my warriors," the Warlord- _his_ Warlord, said calmly. "And now your time has come."

"Yes, my Lord," Spear said, bowing his head. _Don’t worry, little brothers, I’ll come for you soon. I won’t abandon you on Earth,_ he hissed through his teeth, bowing low one last time before he left the chamber where he’d been reborn. _Not like our father did._

111010010

They were all gathered together inside the Blue Earth again, running through the preliminary checks that they always did when they were about to leave the planet. Saber’s hand was on his shoulder, and Slade smiled slightly as he worked. He and Star both reported to Ringo that their systems were green and they were all ready to go.

_ [Here we go again, brother,] _ he said, leaning back in his seat and smiling slightly as Saber reached forward to clasp his hand.

_ [Yeah, here we go,] _ Saber said; he turned to share a grin with his younger brother.

He was glad that their father had managed to get Saber out; he didn’t want to imagine what it would have been like to have his own twin brother fighting for the Radam.

Letting go of Saber’s hand as the Blue Earth began to coast up the launch-ramp, Slade closed his eyes as the ship’s acceleration pressed him into his seat. He could still feel his younger twin’s right hand on his left shoulder, and he smiled. Even the fact that they were going into battle against more of Darkon’s forces, and the fact that he had sort of a niggling, weird feeling about today, couldn’t get him down. That was good, since there were a lot of people that were directly depending on him and Saber today.

Moreso than usual, at least; both squads, the Space Knights’ "Queen Squad" and the AEM’s "King Squad", were depending on them to not only keep most of the Spider-crabs off their backs, but to deal with whatever else the Radam in general and Darkon in particular saw fit to throw at them. Slade knew that the warlord still had the rest of his and Saber’s family captive inside that ship of his, wherever it had ultimately ended up after Father had shoved him and Saber into that escape pod and blasted them out into deep space, and he also knew that it was only a matter of time before they were forced to face one of their family members in combat. Dealing with Gunnar had been hard enough, though, so Slade tried to keep hoping that this relative quiet would last just a bit longer.

It had been almost like a vacation, only having to fight Spider-crabs; anyone with any experience knew that Teknomen were several orders of magnitude more dangerous.

As the Space Ring was thrown into stark relief against the backdrop of interplanetary space, Slade took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now wasn’t the time to think about the past, and he wouldn’t have wanted to think about it even if there _was_ time. The past was pain, or at least theirs was; best if it stayed forgotten.

"Quite a sight, huh guys? All right, let’s go to work." Ringo said, drawing Slade’s focus away from thoughts about his and Saber’s shared past. They were now staring at the Radam hive that had been made aboard the Ring, the place where pretty much all of the power that Darkon’s forces had been bringing to bear against the people of Earth was coming from. It looked like some kind of hideous, oversized hornet’s nest; Slade thought it was appropriate.

"Right," he said, rising from his seat as he heard Saber doing the same. "Time to do some damage, little brother."

"Right with you, big brother," Saber said with a laugh.

Passing his younger twin as the both of them made for the main air lock, Slade put aside all of the misgivings and dark musings he’d been mulling over. Now wasn’t the time for them; he and Saber had work to do. He could hear the sounds of the machinery whirring as Pegas was brought up into the upper area of the air lock.

"Pegas, power on!"

"Tekno-power!"

Leaping into Pegas’ interlock-chamber even as Saber was surrounded by the bright blue light of his own transformation, Slade felt the familiar rush of energy, as well as the muted sensation of movement as Pegas was launched into space. Fully transformed, he waited a few seconds for Pegas to eject him, then quickly caught up with Saber as his brother landed on Pegas’ back behind him.

_ [Well, here we are, brother; back on the front-lines as usual,] _ Saber said.

_ [You nervous? That’s not like you,]  _ he teased.

_ [Whoever said anything about being nervous?] _ Saber shot back. _[It’s just a bunch of Spider-crabs, big brother. I eat Spider-crabs for breakfast.]_

_ [I hope you don’t mean that literally.] _

Laughing as Saber gave a brotherly shove, Slade turned his attention back to the job that he and Saber had been assigned. It might have been just a diversionary tactic this time, but the Commander _had_ said that their part was just as important as any of the others; maybe not in so many words, but he’d long since learned that he could trust the man to have their best interests at heart. Unlike that bastard General Gault, Commander Jamison wasn’t the type to send the Space Knights into danger unless he had to.

"All right, everyone," he said, transmitting to both Pegas and Saber. "We’ve got work to do."

As if on cue, a large swarm of Spider-crabs came racing out of the Space Ring, moving quickly to intercept them.

_ [Meet up with you in a bit, brother,] _ Saber said; Slade looked back over his shoulder as Saber jumped off of Pegas and darted off at a right-angle to the swarm.

_ [Right; see you then, brother,] _ he said, spinning his lance to deflect a spray of Spider-crab venom that had been aimed at his head.

Slaughtering his way through the Spider-crabs that were trying to hem him and Pegas in, Slade growled deep in his throat. He knew what their plan was now, but the infuriating thing was how well it could work. Still, that didn’t mean he had to play along; not when he understood Darkon’s plan.

_ [Saber, they’re trying to slow us down,] _ he called, as his younger twin swept past the now-much-diminished swarm, his teknolance almost a blur as he hacked, slashed, and carved his way through them. _[Meet back up with me and Pegas; we have to get into the Space Ring or we’re not going to do much good during the operation.]_

_ [Right, brother,] _ Saber said, breaking off from the remaining Spider-crabs and flying back to land on Pegas with him.

"Pegas, head for the station’s upper-platform!" he ordered, then he had an idea. _[Saber, stand back-to-back with me; hold your lancer at an angle to mine,]_ he said, trying to project a mental image of what he had in mind while he listened with half an ear to Pegas’ acknowledgement.

_ [Got it, brother; good idea.] _

_ [I have my moments,] _ he said, with a slight smirk.

_ [Not many of them, but you  _ do _have them.]_

_ [Wiseass,] _ he said, rolling his eyes briefly, even as he began to spin his teknolance in concert with his younger brother’s.

They plowed through the remaining Spider-crabs like a lethal wedge of whirling, high-speed steel, but unfortunately new ones came to replace the ones that had died almost immediately. Grumbling slightly as Saber sighed, Slade decided on their next course of action quickly.

"Pegas, battle-mode!" he ordered, leaping off the back of the back of the mecha and tugging Saber off with him.

"Tekno-power battle-mode!" he and Saber shouted together, and he felt his armor begin to fold down into its more streamlined, dynamic configuration.

As the energies almost exploded out of him, forming a corona of bright, green light around him, he landed on Pegas as the mech swept under him. Saber’s own livid blue energy blended with what was being put out by him and Pegas, and the Spider-crabs were obliterated in their wake. The space in front of them was clear, but since he didn’t know how long _that_ was going to last, he ordered Pegas to move faster.

The Space Ring loomed ever closer as he, Pegas, and Saber cleared the remaining distance, and Slade could already see the Spider-crabs that were beginning to mass into another swarm to try to keep them outside. Checking both sides, and taking a moment to calculate their respective speeds, Slade realized that it was going to come down to a matter of a couple of feet between the three of them and that new swarm.

_ [Hold on tight, little brother, things are about to get interesting.] _ "Pegas, full-throttle!"

"Affirmative."

Laying his hand on both of Saber’s, since his younger twin had wrapped both of his arms around his waist, Slade prepared to move. There wasn’t really anywhere he could get inside, at least not without being a little creative about things. Still, it wasn’t like that was any bad thing.

"Pegas, fire blasters!" Pegas’ lasers ripped into the armored wall of the Radam’s hive-construct, and Slade smiled slightly. "All right, Pegas, take us inside!"

They flew inside the Radam’s hive, and Slade was only mildly surprised to find that the inside of it was festooned with growths that actually made it _look_ like a hive. From the information that the Radam had forced into his mind, he knew that this was most likely some kind of a breeding chamber for the Spider-crabs. He wondered, for a brief, fleeting moment, just where the new Teknomen that the Radam would try to create would come from.

Then the swarm of Spider-crabs that had been chasing them caught up then, and they were quickly joined by another, smaller swarm from inside the hive itself.

"Look, brother, it’s the un-welcoming committee," Saber said cheerfully, and Slade felt his younger brother moving slightly back and away from him.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I think we should go greet them."

"Yes, I think you’re right," Saber said, and out of the corner of his eye Slade saw his younger brother go charging into battle with the swarm of Spider-crabs that had just showed up from within the Space Ring.

_ [Oh sure, take the  _ easy _job,]_ he teased, raising his teknolance as he turned Pegas to confront the larger swarm of Spider-crabs that were beginning to come in through the hole that he had just made in their hive.

_ [Far be it from  _ me _to horn in on your fun, big brother.]_

Rolling his eyes, Slade headed into the midst of the swarm to deal with them.

1101001011

Watching the monitors that had been trained on the twins, Star continued to pray quietly for their safety. She knew that they were both incredibly powerful fighters, and probably the only ones who had any real chance against the Radam and their horrible Spider-crabs, but she still couldn’t help worrying about them. Slade and Saber were still both very human under that armor of theirs; they could be hurt not only physically but emotionally, though neither of them was quite the type to let anyone know about the latter.

That was why she made it a point to watch them carefully; well, that was why she made it a point to watch out for _Saber_ , at least.

"Queen Leader, Queen Leader. You are to proceed to reinforce King Leader at once, move out!"

The transmission from Military Command brought her awareness sharply back to the present; back to the operation that all of them were a part of. However, she couldn’t obey the order that she had just been given; not without leaving the twins in more danger than they already were facing from Darkon’s Spider-crabs.

"Command Center, this is Queen Leader," she transmitted back. "We can not, repeat not, get to King Leader to help!" Sighing as General Gault tried to order her to pick them up, she cut the transmission and contacted the people she _knew_ would be able to do something about the trouble that King Squad was so obviously in. "Saber, Slade; King Squad is in danger," she informed them over the comm. "Do you think one of you could go help them?"

There was a yell transmitted over the comm., one that sounded like Saber was going through a particularly thick knot of Spider-crabs headfirst, and then Slade called out to his brother and the both of their voices began to overlap. There was another half-minute of battlecries from the twins, and then the channel fell silent except for the sound of their heavy breathing.

"Star?" Slade asked, seeming to have noticed the open comm. channel at last. "Is something wrong? Why did you contact us?"

"I wanted to know if one of you would be able to go and help King Squad," Star said, though she was starting to suspect that neither of them would be able to. "They’ve run into some steep odds, and it sounds like they’re in trouble."

"Hold that thought for a minute," Slade said, sounding distracted; the shrieks of approaching Spider-crabs let her know just what it was that Slade had been so distracted by.

With the comm. un-muted, she clearly heard the shouts, taunts, and battlecries of the twins as they engaged the latest swarm of Spider-crabs that were trying to attack them. When the latest batch of Spider-crabs were as dead as the last one, Star sighed. She couldn’t ask either of the twins to abandon their own sibling to this kind of horror; they were all in danger here, and the situation couldn’t be helped.

She would just have to hope that King Squad could hold out on their own.

"What was that you wanted to ask us?" Slade asked again. "Sorry; things got a bit hairy here. We were distracted."

"It was nothing," she said, trying to sound calm. "I just wanted to know how you two were doing. Remember: we’re all on a deadline here."

"We’ll keep that in mind," Saber said, chuckling softly. "Thanks for the heads-up."

Deactivating the comm., she spared a hope that King Squad would be all right when they all pulled back to return to Earth.

"Brace yourself, Star," Ringo said, sounding almost bored by now. "Here comes another wave."

"Right," she said, bracing herself against the bucking and jolting of the Blue Earth as they maneuvered out of the way of more of the Spider-crabs that had been sent out to attack them. "I’ll check in with Military Command."

"Go for it," Ringo said, clearly absorbed in aiming and firing and aiming again at the Spider-crabs all around them.

"Command, Queen Squad is still on station," she said, as the Blue Earth made another tight, looping turn. "What’s Operation Status? Joker deadline is in ten minutes!"

Another person, this one transmitting on another channel, cut her off from Military Command, and Star was left to wonder just what was going on. Ringo was doing a good job of keeping the Spider-crabs off their backs, but the clock was still running. Three clocks, really: one for Operation Joker itself, and the two counting down over Slade and Saber’s heads.

"What’s our current status?" Star demanded, when the airwaves cleared and she was able to get through to Military Command again. "We’re running out of time!"

"Hold on, Queen Leader," the AEM’s radio operator said. "What are your orders, General?"

"Send Queen to pick up King," she heard General Gault say flatly.

"We _can’t_ go pick up King!" she shouted; even the twins were being overwhelmed by these odds, there was no way that she and Ringo would be able to make it to King Squad.

"We’re bottled up out here," Ringo informed Military Command over the still-open comm. as he continued to evade and shoot down the Spider-crabs attacking them. "We’d never make it to ‘em. Where are those kids of ours?"

"Still somewhere inside the Ring," she said, quickly cutting her connection to Military Command and connecting to Pegas’ comm. unit. "Slade! Saber! Hurry! Only six minutes to Joker!"

Her heart was pounding, and it was all Star could do to make herself sit back down and breathe deeply. She’d be no good to anyone if she lost consciousness here and now. Still, everything was just so _tense_.

0010010010

_ [Saber, pull back! It’s almost time for the big finish!] _

_ [Right, brother!]  _ he called back, slamming his teknolance into the head of the last Spider-crab in his way and jetting off to meet with Slade on top of Pegas.

"Pegas, get us outta here!" he heard Slade shout, and wrapped his arms around Slade’s waist as Pegas’ rocket-boosters kicked them back out through the hole that he’d blown in the Space Ring. _[Any second now,]_ he heard Slade say, and turned to look back over his shoulder at the Space Ring.

Sure enough, once they’d managed to clear the last stretch between them and open space, he saw the far-off flares of the exploding generators nearest to them. Breathing a sigh of relief, Saber squeezed his brother gently. _[Well, now that the fireworks are over, what’s say we head back to the Blue Earth? I don’t know about you, brother, but I think I could use a nap after all that excitement.]_

_ [You won’t hear any argument from me, brother,] _ Slade said, chuckling softly as he guided Pegas back toward their rendezvous point with their fellow Space Knights.

He was spent, and as he rested his head on Slade’s back and let his brother’s giant robot carry them back to their spaceship, he reflected that it was a good thing only twenty-two minutes had passed since they’d set out on this mission of theirs. He and Slade had discussed it, during the lulls in combat where they could exchange more than just a few, hurried shouts with one another, and they had eventually come to the conclusion that, while _Slade_ couldn’t risk staying transformed for _more_ than thirty minutes or he would end up going over to the Radam, he himself couldn’t even _stay_ transformed for that long. He thought it might have had something to do with the crack in his teknocrystal from back when Gunnar had set that little trap of his.

Slade had been worried about what the long-term effects of the damage to his crystal could be, and Saber had ended up promising to at least let his brother take a look at his crystal before he used it in combat again. He wasn’t really worried, since the only effect that the damage seemed to have on him was the fact that he couldn’t maintain his transformation for more than twenty-five minutes. Still, if it would make Slade feel better to check the damage for himself, then he would let his dearest Blessed Protector do what came naturally to him.

When they came back into sight of the Blue Earth at last, he smiled tiredly and felt Slade gently pat the side of his helmet.

_ [Don’t worry, little brother,] _ Slade said calmly, his tone kind. _[I’ll have us back onboard in no time.]_

_ [Thanks; that’s good to hear, big brother,] _ he said, closing his eyes briefly; it was good to be here, safe with his brother by his side.

0100100001

The insects had flown into his protectorate, attacking Lord Darkon’s Spider-crabs the way they always seemed to be doing, and he had been dispatched to deal with them. While he honestly would have preferred to be searching for his wayward little brothers, to bring them back into Lord Darkon’s fold where they belonged, he had his duties like any loyal servant of the Empire. And he _was_ a loyal servant of the Empire, of course.

_ Strange, _ he mused, as he threw his lancer into and through one of the human’s spacecraft, detonating it in his wake. _I would have thought they would still be here; I sensed them in this area. Could they have left already?_

The answer to that question seemed to be yes, and as he hunted down the remaining human spacecraft and dealt with them, Spear felt a swell of disappointment. He had been so hoping that he would be able to meet up with Ness and Cain again, to speak to them and to be able to take them back to Lord Darkon’s ship where they would have been able to complete the transformations that they had not been able to. _I suppose I have our father to thank for_ that _,_ Spear thought, hissing between his teeth.

Throwing his lancer at the last ship with a bit more force than was strictly necessary, he directed the mount that Lord Darkon had bred for him as a counter to the combat mech that the humans had built for Slade to make another sweep of the area. It wouldn’t do, after all, to leave any of the humans alive to cause trouble. Catching his lancer with his retrieval-line, Spear opened his mind and tried to sense where his little brothers were.

After all, humans didn’t require much of his attention; his little brothers, on the other hand, were precious to him.

11001001011

When they’d gotten settled aboard the Blue Earth, with Saber a bit groggy but still awake enough to walk back into the cockpit with a bit of help, Slade breathed more easily. He’d actually felt safe for a few moments, right up until the sense of someone trying to search for them telepathically washed over him. Someone familiar.

"What went wrong out there, Slade? What happened?" Ringo asked, in response to his fist slamming into the controls for the comm. unit.

"Darkon has sent another Teknoman to replace Gunnar," he growled, then slumped back into his seat; he’d actually been stupid enough to hope that that damned Radam Warlord wouldn’t be sending out another of them.

To hope that he and Saber wouldn’t have to face any more of the people who had once meant so much to them. _God, I am such an idiot,_ he snarled mentally, walling his mind off from Saber so that he wouldn’t disturb his brother. Saber had fallen asleep in his seat, and Slade wasn’t going to be the one to wake him up.

"Another one?" Star asked, her tone curious but kind. "Who is it?"

"Doesn’t matter who it is," Ringo said, cutting into his thoughts before he could say anything harsh in response to Star’s query. "Whoever it is, you and Saber’ll take care of him, like you took care of Gunnar."

_ I hope you’re right, Ringo, _ he mused, blocking his thoughts off from Saber even as he turned around to look at the slumbering form of his younger twin. _I hope you’re right._

1110100100

_ I suppose I’ll meet up with you back on Earth, then, little brothers, _ Spear mused, as he watched the planet itself, hanging placidly "below" him. All of the humans in the spacecraft he had encountered were dead, their spacecraft shredded almost beyond recognition by the detonation of their engines, and he knew that he should really return to Lord Darkon’s ship to make his report, but he stayed for a few more moments to make a final promise.

_ I’ll come for you soon, my dear little brothers; you won’t be alone on Earth forever.  _ He smiled slightly. _After all, family members should stay together; and you_ are _my younger brothers._


	12. Sibling Rivalry

Folding his arms, and trying to ignore the foreboding feeling that he had been pushing away ever since he had sensed that new Teknoman searching him and Saber out through the psychic link that they all shared, Slade looked back out at the Earth as they descended back toward it. They’d be back on the ground soon, and he would be able to take a closer look at Saber’s teknocrystal. He didn’t want his younger brother to suffer if he could do anything about it, and while Saber might have said that he felt fine if he managed to transform back before his twenty-five minutes was up, Slade wanted to make sure of that.

He needed to _know_ that his little brother was going to be all right; he’d never forgive himself if something happened to Saber when he could have prevented it.

He was starting to get a bit drowsy now, though, and he’d long since learned that he could trust Star and Ringo to get them all back down to Earth safely, so he let his eyes slip closed and relaxed as much as he ever did. Just before true sleep claimed him, though, he had a mildly amusing thought: this was the first time that he and Saber hadn’t fallen asleep in the air lock.

101000100

Looking over at Slade, Star found that he’d just fallen asleep. She was glad that he felt safe enough with her and Ringo now to be able to relax so much when they were around. He’d been asleep in the Blue Earth before, of course; both he and Saber had, but that had only been because they were too exhausted by their battles with the Radam to remain conscious for another minute.

That wasn’t trust, that was just circumstance.

Turning her attention back to her navigational duties, even though they were near enough to the ground that she probably could have turned the duty over to Ringo without much of a hitch. But she was trained better than that, and there was always the chance of something unexpected happening, so she kept her eyes on her instruments and helped to guide the Blue Earth all the way back to the Space Knight Command Center. They didn’t meet up with any opposition on their way back, something she was thankful for, but also a bit surprised about considering the fact that Slade had been so worried about that new Teknoman that Darkon had sent out.

She still wondered why Slade had sounded so... so _angry_ about this new Teknoman. He hadn’t seemed that way about Gunnar, and Gunnar had done a lot of damage to him and Saber both. The way Slade had reacted to the idea of this new Teknoman, though, it was almost as if he expected something worse to happen than what Gunnar had done.

She didn’t like to think that he might be right, but then he and Saber _did_ have more experience dealing with the Radam than she and Ringo did; even in spite of all the time that they had spent working with the twins.

Once the Blue Earth was settled back inside the hangar where Mac and Maggie would be able to check her for damages, Star rose from her seat and headed over to where the twins were sitting. Gathering Slade up into her arms, smiling briefly down at him as his head came to rest against her body, she looked over at Ringo as he chuckled.

"Well, this is definitely a change of pace," Ringo said, looking amusedly over at her as he gathered Saber up in his own arms and stood back upright.

"I guess so," Star said, as she made her way out of the Blue Earth’s cockpit to the boarding-ramp.

"Just make sure you don’t get distracted in there," Ringo said, wearing a sly smirk as he walked next to her on the Blue Earth’s boarding-ramp. "You’re putting Slade to bed, not getting in there with him."

Star would have smacked him if she’d had an arm free, but she was forced to settle for a ringing glare and the promise of a good smacking later, since she didn’t want to jostle Slade or risk dropping him. As she and Ringo split off from each other, carrying Slade and Saber to their respective rooms, Star looked down into the face of the man who she was just beginning to fall in love with. She didn’t get to see him like this, with his face relaxed in sleep and the only thing showing that he had suffered at the hands of the Radam being the scar on the left side of his face; it was nice, really, seeing Slade the way he could have been if it hadn’t been for the Radam.

Still, she wondered for a moment if, if the Radam had never come to Earth in the first place, would she ever have met Slade and his brother at all?

Who had they been, before the Radam had come to Earth? And how had they gotten their powers? What were they doing that had made it possible for them to become Teknomen, when the only other Teknomen in existence seemed to be under the control of the Radam themselves?

These were things she often wondered about, when everything was quiet and there were no Radam attacks to distract her from wondering just who Slade and Saber had been before they had become the heroes of the war against the Radam. She wondered just what kind of life the twins had lead, and why they sometimes seemed so far away when they were together. She still remembered what Saber had said to Dr. Random, about the fact that he and Slade _remembered_.

But what? What was it that Saber had been so adamant that he and Slade had remembered, and why had he sounded so depressed about the fact that they did? Was there something that he and Slade knew that someone else hadn’t wanted them to, and what could it have been?

Laying Slade down in his bed, Star took off his boots and vest, then gently tucked him in. For a moment, she was tempted to kiss his cheek, or just to touch his face in passing. He looked so peaceful, and she knew that he wouldn’t look that way once he woke up again.

Still, she knew full well that Slade didn’t like being touched by anyone but his brother, and even if _he_ didn’t ever find out about what she had done, Star herself would still know.

"Sleep well, Slade," Star said, as she turned and left his room.

00101000111

When he’d finished putting Saber to bed, making a mental note to talk to the kid about how they could work on getting his lunkhead of a brother to notice that Star was falling head-over-heels for him, Ringo wondered for a second or two just what had gone on between Slade and Star. It couldn’t have been anything too out of line, since he knew Star well enough to know that she wouldn’t do anything she knew Slade wouldn’t want her to. And he knew the kid himself well enough to know that he didn’t like being touched by anyone who wasn’t Saber.

It was kind of funny how all of Slade’s normal prickliness and standoffishness seemed to completely evaporate when he was around his brother, and it was even funnier how all of that stuff came right back up again the few times that the two of them had been separated. He also thought it was funny how, while Slade had often referred to Saber as his _younger_ brother, Saber himself seemed to be the more mature of the pair. He also seemed to be a bit more protective of Slade than Slade was of him, but only someone who was really looking for it would ever notice any difference between the two of them.

Leaving Saber in his room, with his boots set next to his bed so he could get to them easily, Ringo turned and headed for his own room to get in what sleep he could before the next crisis came up.

He knew that it was only a matter of time before a new one came up, what with the Radam and their armies of mutant space crabs hanging over all their heads, to say nothing of that new Teknoman that Slade had sensed. He didn’t doubt that the kid knew what he was talking about, not now that he had gotten to know those kids as well as he did. He knew that they _could_ in fact sense others like them, and even that they somehow seemed to know what the other was thinking most of the time.

He’d heard that twins were kind of freaky that way, but this seemed to go beyond even _that_.

Still, there would be plenty of time to ask Saber to explain what went on between him and Slade _after_ he’d hashed out how to get Slade to stop being a lunkhead and notice that Star was falling for him. As he made his way down the corridor to his own quarters, Ringo began to hear footsteps coming up from behind him and to his right. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw that Star was coming down the corridor behind him.

"Hey, Star," he said, just before she drew back and slapped him right across the cheek. "What was _that_ for?"

"I think you know," she said, giving him a withering look.

As she walked on past, Ringo laughed softly; he hadn’t really expected to get away with _that_ one. Still, it was kind of fun to wind Star up sometimes.

1110101001

When he woke up in his room, tucked under the covers with his vest off, Slade wondered for a second just why Ringo would take the time to do something like this, before he decided to put aside the odd and probably one-time occurrence and concentrate on what was really important. Saber’s teknocrystal might not have been shattered like his was when Gunnar had caught them in that trap of his, but there _was_ obviously something off with it. He didn’t want to think that there might be something wrong with it, since with their luck being the way it was, just _considering_ that kind of thing might be inviting who-knew-what kind of disaster.

Slade didn’t want anything to happen to his brother, and he would hate himself if anything happened to Saber because of _him_.

_ [Saber, are you awake yet?] _

_ [Well, I am  _ now _,]_ his younger brother playfully grumbled. _[You want to have that talk of ours now?]_

_ [I think that would be best,] _ he said, thinking back over the duration of their stay with the Space Knights and all the things that had happened to them. _[Things usually seem to start getting hectic after breakfast.]_

_ [You know, I think you might actually be right about that, brother,] _ Saber said, sounding amused. _[Everything usually_ does _seem to start happening after breakfast.]_

_ [I guess even alien invaders need their three square meals a day,] _ he said, smiling as he heard Saber’s silent laughter in his mind.

Knowing that his brother was getting closer, the sense of his brother’s mind intimately familiar to him by now, so he shoved his feet into the boots that Ringo had dropped by the side of his bed and headed over to the door. And, just as he made it there, the chime rang, and he opened the door on his younger twin’s smiling face.

"Nice timing, brother," Saber said; they shared a grin, both knowing just how this little feat of theirs had been arranged.

"Thanks, brother," he said, stepping aside so that Saber could get into his room.

Sensing a short, brief surge of energy from his younger brother, Slade caught Saber’s teknocrystal as it was tossed to him. Holding his brother’s sky-blue crystal, Slade headed back to his bed and sat down on it across from Saber. His brother had taken his boots off so he could sit cross-legged on top of the bed; it almost reminded Slade of back home. Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Slade took a long look at Saber’s teknocrystal.

He’d done this once before, back on the Space Ring when they had been trying to escape from Gunnar’s trap, but back then he’d been a lot more preoccupied with the fact that his younger brother was in pain than with what might have been happening to his crystal. Sure, he’d managed to keep Saber from having his crystal shattered the way his had been, but it looked like he _hadn’t_ managed to keep Saber entirely safe. He hated that.

Staring at the almost straight, vertical crack that ran up the middle of his younger twin’s sky-blue teknocrystal, Slade ran his finger over it. It didn’t actually seem any deeper than it had been the last time he’d seen it, but then he hadn’t really been given a chance to _look_ back then; both he and Saber had been a lot more concerned with keeping their heads and skins intact, since Gunnar had been hunting them down throughout the Space Ring. Not to mention all of the Spider-crabs that they had been forced to deal with.

Still, Slade wasn’t the type to take chances with his younger brother’s life; Saber was really all he had left.

"It doesn’t look like that crack is any bigger than it was," he said, looking up at Saber. "But, I think it would be best if I had a look at it after the next time we fight together."

"So, in other words, late today or early tomorrow?" Saber asked, a wry smile on his face.

Slade laughed ruefully. "Yeah; probably." He rose, and waited a few moments for Saber to shove his feet back into his boots and stand back up. "D’you want to get some breakfast now?"

"You mean start the day without my morning shower? When we’re probably going to be facing off against another legion of Spider-crabs?" Saber gave him a Look for that and Slade rolled his eyes.

"Well, I suppose it _was_ a bit much to ask from _you_. Go take your shower, stinky."

Laughing as Saber grabbed him in a headlock and noogied him, Slade stood back upright as his brother let him up. Squeezing Saber around the waist as his younger twin gave him a soft kiss on his left cheek, Slade headed for his own bathroom as Saber left. He might not have been taking a shower like Saber was planning, but he was at least going to wash up and brush his hair.

In other words, the usual things he did before he started the day.

11000101000

He’d managed to arrange things so that neither Maggie nor Mac would have any objections to his looking at the Teknobot when they weren’t in the general vicinity, so he’d made a habit of appearing there at odd intervals; there never seemed to be a time when the machine shop, which also seemed to serve as a repair bay the way it did in pretty much every one of the AEM bases that he had served at, was actually _empty_. So, he did still have to be careful about how he looked and what he seemed to pay attention to. But now that most of the staff seemed willing to treat his presence as just another thing that happened, he had at least a _bit_ more leeway.

Today he intended to find out just what that geometric shape, Maggie had said that Slade and Saber called the things teknocrystals, on the front of the Teknobot was.

Moving over to a better vantagepoint on the railing where he stood, he zoomed in on the shape. The thing was the same color as Slade’s eyes, and for a moment he wondered if that also held true for Saber’s crystal. He knew that the chances of him ever finding that out were about the same as his chances of ever being able to lift the Teknobot over his head, but maybe he wouldn’t have to _ask_... something to think about later, probably.

It was something to keep in mind, at least.

As he zoomed in closer to that teknocrystal of Slade’s, he began to see the probable reason that this Teknobot had been built in the first place: their were hairline fractures running through the entire structure of the crystal. The crystal itself looked like it had been pieced back together after breaking apart, somehow. Now, he didn’t know just what could have caused _that_ kind of damage to those crystals of theirs, aside from a hammer or something, but he didn’t see either of those boys being stupid enough to let someone deliberately break their transformation artifact.

Both of them were incredibly standoffish, not to mention obstinate as all hell, but neither of them had struck him as particularly stupid; all the more reason to keep avoiding them while he was on assignment here.

0001001001

When he’d gone down to the cafeteria for breakfast, he found the Wonder Twins just leaving the place.

"Hey, kids," he said, grinning at the two of them as they made their way past.

"Hey, Ringo," Saber said; Slade just offered him a small smile. "Just heading in?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "You know, it always seems like we _just_ miss each other every time we get up."

He could tell that Saber was just about to say something, probably something snarky judging from the look on his face, but the general-alert went off before any of them could say anything else.

"Well, looks like I’m going to have to skip breakfast this time," he said, taking a moment to promise himself a snack later and an extra large lunch to make up for it. Turning around quickly, he followed just behind the twins as they jogged to Comm. One. He fell pretty far behind them once they’d really gotten going, but he wasn’t so worried about that. Commander Jamison wasn’t the type to begin a meeting unless all of them were present.

Heck, there were times he’d even waited for _Balzac_ , and that guy wasn’t even a member of the Space Knights.

When he finally made it to Comm. One, he looked around for Balzac first of all. The Wonder Twins, Saber in particular, always seemed to be a bit wary around him. Moreso than they’d been around him or the others back when they’d all met up in the first place, even; of course, sometimes those boys could be a bit overly cautious, but they hadn’t once been wrong about the big things. So he’d keep an eye on Balzac, even though the man seemed fairly harmless, and seemed to keep to himself for the most part.

The Commander’s briefing was short and to the point, the way pretty much all of them were, and soon enough they were all heading toward the Blue Earth, preparing for a combat mission at the AEM’s insistence.

It’d become something of a routine, these days: head to Comm. One for one of the Commander’s briefings, find out that the AEM needed their fat pulled out of the fire _again_ , then fly off in the Blue Earth with the Wonder Twins in tow. Simple, if you didn’t think about the fact that the Space Knights were being treated as the Military’s errand boys. Or, in the case of the twins, their attack dogs.

Still, he tried not to think about _that_ kind of thing so much, since it pissed him off and made him want to track down one of those Military bastards and punch them; something that would be bound to get him in the same kind of trouble that the Wonder Twins had probably bought for themselves, but without the kind of leeway they were given because of their power. Shoving those thoughts out of his mind as he settled into the Blue Earth’s piloting station, Ringo began the preflight sequence as Star and the twins settled into their own seats. It felt like no time at all had passed before they were riding up and out of the atmosphere on the launch-ramp, and then blasting into space on their way to their latest mission.

The AEM hadn’t been the only ones worried about that new Teknoman that had shown up at the end of their last mission; both Slade and Saber had tried to cover it, but he could tell that those kids of theirs had been worried about whatever new Teknoman that Darkon had sent out. Slade hadn’t even wanted to _tell_ Saber at first, he could tell from the way Slade had looked on their trip back to Earth after their last battle; Saber must have weaseled it out of him somehow, though, since the two of them were both clearly on the same page about just what it was that they might be facing this time around.

Ringo didn’t know quite what to think about the new situation; on the one hand, it was good that both of them knew just what it was that they were getting into here, and on the other he knew that those boys tended to worry more than what was really healthy for either of them. Too much stress could cripple even the best of fighters or soldiers, he knew, and he didn’t want anything like that happening to the twins if he could help it. He didn’t really know if he _could_ help it, though; it wasn’t like their worries were unfounded or anything.

He knew better than most just what kind of damage a Teknoman, even one on their own, could do.

"Good luck out there, boys," he said, turning to look over his shoulder at the twins as they raced past his station on their way to the main air lock.

"Thanks, Ringo," Saber said, grinning back at him. "And _try_ to keep the Blue Earth in one piece up here, all right? I’m not too fond about the idea of trying to fly back to Earth on my own."

"Hey, this is _me_ you’re talking to here," he shot back, smirking.

"I know."

Saber, still grinning like the little wiseguy he so clearly was, was through the air lock doors and sealed behind the thick, airtight metal before Ringo could even start to think up a properly crushing response to that. Seconds later, he and Slade were blazing out into space; one aboard Pegas and the other following close beside. It summed up their relationship pretty perfectly, in Ringo’s opinion: no matter what changed with one of them, the other would always be right there by their side.

1010000101

As she watched the twins finish transforming and join up with each other on Pegas’ back, Star took the opportunity to pray for their safety. She’d done it every time they went out, ever since their encounter with Gunnar had left Slade unable to transform without Pegas’ help. Now, with this new Teknoman out there somewhere, Star knew that the twins were going to have their work cut out for them.

Anyone who’d seen the recordings or read the after-action reports knew that the Teknomen were dangerous; even to the twins themselves, she knew.

However, right now the only thing that they were facing was another in a long line of Spider-crab swarms. She was grateful for that, small mercy that it was in the end, since Slade and Saber had both seemed to be more concerned about this new Teknoman than they had been about Gunnar himself. Not that they _hadn’t_ been worried about him, it was just clear that there was something about this new Teknoman that concerned them even more.

Star didn’t know what that was just now, but she hoped that she would have the chance to find out when they all went back to Earth. Probably not from Slade, since he didn’t even like to talk about what he was thinking even on a _good_ day, but she could always ask Saber. Although, she did know full well that, if Slade really didn’t want to talk about it, Saber was likely to feel the same way.

And even if he didn’t, he would still respect his brother’s wishes if Slade didn’t want him to say anything.

The swarm of Spider-crabs didn’t seem to be getting smaller at all, even in spite of all of the Spider-crabs that the twins had already killed. Star didn’t know how Darkon and the Radam had managed to maintain these kinds of numbers after the power generators in the Space Ring had been destroyed during Operation Joker. It seemed that they had, though, and now all she could do was keep an eye on Slade and Saber’s time-limits so that the twins wouldn’t end up becoming just as much of a danger to Earth as the new Teknoman that Slade had sensed just yesterday.

They had only used up ten minutes so far, so the situation hadn’t become urgent just yet, but Star was keeping a close watch on the Blue Earth’s chronometer all the same.

The voice of one of the Military’s pilots came over the radio then: "What in the heck is- Winters! Get out of there! That thing’s right on top-!"

The transmission dissolved to static, and Star realized then just what it was that had happened: that new Teknoman was after them now.

"Break off," she called over the radio; she didn’t have any real authority over the Military’s pilots, Star knew, but she doubted that anyone would be inclined to stand on propriety now, of all times. "Head back to Earth; I’ll get the twins to deal with this."

She didn’t say the last of her thoughts out loud, the fact that nothing made by human hands had any kind of chance against a Teknoman. She knew that was the truth, though; their air- and spacecraft had been destroyed by the Radam’s Spider-crabs, and the Spider-crabs were nothing compared to the Teknomen that commanded them. She didn’t know just how Darkon managed to command them all, since each of the Teknomen on their own was powerful enough to decimate armies all on their own.

Though, when she found herself thinking too much about what Darkon must have been like, to be able to command the Teknomen the way he did, Star would always shudder.

"Confirmed, Blue Earth," said one of the remaining pilots, sounding relieved in spite of himself. "We’ll leave this to you and yours."

She barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief on behalf of the pilots, when something attacked the Blue Earth itself. As the ship rocked and bucked under the onslaught, and Ringo shouted in disbelief at what he had just seen. She didn’t know quite what it was, but she suspected that that new Teknoman had more than a passing involvement in it. Focusing her attention on the radio console, blocking all other things out of her mind and trusting Ringo to keep that new Teknoman from killing them both, Star set about contacting the twins.

She hoped that they were in a position to help, for all their sakes.

0101000101

_ So, this is the ship that my little brothers have been traveling in for so long, _ Spear mused, casually dodging the hail of shots the gunner was sending his way. It seemed to carry only a minimal crew; the gunner was also clearly the pilot, and their was only one other person inside. There were also places for his little brothers, though the second seat was clearly an add-on and not a standard feature on ships of this kind.

The fact that it was not set directly in front of any control panels was clear proof of that.

This tiny vessel was nothing at all like the Argos, so there was little chance that Ness and Cain were traveling with these humans out of a sense of nostalgia, no matter how misplaced it was. It _did_ beg the question of just why his little brothers were staying with these humans at all; even if Father _had_ taken them out of their teknopods before they were finished with their respective transformations – something he fully intended to address when they all arrived at Lord Darkon’s own vessel – they were still Teknomen. Still a part of the glorious Radam Empire.

_ Don’t worry, Ness, Cain, I’ll bring you back home soon, _ he mused, then chuckled softly. _Well, back to our new home, anyway. We can’t exactly return to our old home yet._ Perhaps in the future, once this first stage of the invasion was over and Lord Darkon had solidified his control over this planet, he and the rest of their family would be able to move back into their old house. It was a pleasant, thought, that; the place held many fond memories for all of them.

Not just the ones that had been captured in photo albums, but the more intangible things that each of them carried in their own hearts.

All of that, however, would have to be postponed until he had dealt with the humans in their spacecraft. In deference to their part in returning Ness and Cain to him, however, Spear felt that he could afford to show them at least a modicum of mercy. Therefore, he would be quick.

When he began to sense the approach of his little brothers, he looked back into the cockpit of the spacecraft that had carried them up to this place. The woman who had been stationed forward of the pilot was speaking to someone; she had to be using the ship’s radio, since the pilot was not responding in any way to what she was saying, and as Spear focused more closely on her face in order to read her lips, he found that she was calling out to his brothers. She was using the names that Lord Darkon had given them; a good thing, that, since it meant that they had accepted their new identities.

He’d been worried that their father’s interference might have had some pronounced effect on their minds, but if they had accepted the names that they had been granted so easily, then that was a very good sign. He might not be forced to work so hard to bring them back into Lord Darkon’s fold. That was a comforting thought; he didn’t want to have to fight his own younger brothers.

He would if he had to, but he didn’t relish the prospect in the least.

However, when he sensed the approach of his younger brothers, charging in on that strange construct of theirs, Spear realized that, after having faced off with the Spider-crabs that Lord Darkon had allowed him to use for this mission neither Ness nor Cain would be particularly inclined to come along quietly. Still, they were both bound to be rather worn out from the battle that they had just participated in, so subduing them so that he could bring them back to Lord Darkon’s ship would be at least _somewhat_ easier.

Not entirely easy, but moreso than if he were to attempt the same kind of thing when his younger brothers were newly-transformed and well-rested.

0101000100

When he and Saber had gotten the transmission from Star, the only one that had really mattered to either of them; the one about the Blue Earth being under attack, both of them had known that they had to get back to the ship. He also knew that Saber’s time was almost up, and so that was one more thing for them to worry about. And, since _Saber’s_ time was almost up, Slade knew full well that he didn’t have much time left himself.

_ [Saber, go back to the Blue Earth; you’re almost out of time. I’ll handle things here.] _

_ [All right; I’ll see you back on Earth,] _ Saber said, in a tone that said he’d _better_.

Slade smiled slightly. _[I’ll be with you soon, little brother.]_

Raising his teknolance, Slade flew over the Blue Earth. He checked in with Ringo and Star briefly, letting them know that he was all right and that Saber was going to be coming back inside. Looking up as he and Pegas flew over the Blue Earth, Slade got his first real glimpse of the new Teknoman that Darkon had released. This new one was taller than both him and Saber; his shoulders were less broad, though, and he was more sleek-looking than any other Teknoman that he had ever seen before.

And, where Slade was white, and Saber was black, this new Teknoman was a purple so dark that it almost looked black itself, though there _were_ also red parts on this new Teknoman. This new Teknoman’s weapon was different as well: it looked a bit like a harpoon, though the leading edge of the blade was smooth rather than serrated, though it was also clear that this new Teknoman’s teknolance was double-ended just like all the others.

This wasn’t going to be easy; he still remembered the trouble that Gunnar had given them, and unlike his first battle with Gunnar, he couldn’t rely on Saber to help him. He was alone this time, and in this situation he didn’t like it. He briefly noted that this new Teknoman had a flying platform of his own, some kind of one-eyed Radam creature, and he wondered for a moment just why that was.

Then the two of them clashed, and there was no more time for him to think.

He had also been trying _not_ to think about who this new Teknoman might have been, before the Radam had sunk their hooks into him and turned him into one of their monsters. Slamming into the new Teknoman, he blocked a slash from the new Teknoman’s teknolance and slammed bodily into the other Teknoman. All of the Spider-crabs were gone by this time, and he had a moment to feel relief about that fact just before the new Teknoman slammed into him again.

"Slade!"

"I don’t really," he blocked another slash from the other Teknoman’s teknolance. "Have the time to talk," he ducked and used the staff of his teknolance to block a downward swing that would have ended up spitting his skull if he’d let it connect. "Right now, Star."

"Your time limit is almost up! You have to get back to the Blue Earth!" she shouted; he winced, he’d almost managed to forget about that fact while he’d been fighting.

That wasn’t good.

As the Blue Earth started firing on the other Teknoman, Slade tensed for a moment. He was sure that one of Darkon’s chosen warriors would never refuse the chance to attack the Blue Earth when he left, but just before he pulled back behind a barrage from the Blue Earth’s laser cannons, he saw the other Teknoman stand back up straight. For just a moment, as the glowing red eyes of Darkon’s newest slave-warrior stared into his own, Slade shuddered briefly. He almost felt like he _should_ know who this newest Teknoman was, but there wasn’t any time for him to think about anything but getting back to the Blue Earth before he could start to lose control.

Flying into the Blue Earth’s air lock, just beginning to feel the edges of the paralysis that he had felt the last time that the Radam influence that he would be prey to if he ever _did_ overshoot his time-limit had nearly claimed his mind, Slade gratefully climbed down off of Pegas’ back and ordered the mech to open its interlock-chamber. As he tiredly climbed inside and felt the energies of his transformation fade, Slade just managed to catch himself on his hands before he hit his head on the deck.

As his eyes slipped closed, Slade almost thought he saw Star coming into the air lock with him.

111010100

While Star went to take care of the last of the Wonder Twins, Ringo busied himself with getting them all back down to Earth in one piece. He knew that Saber was all right, since Star had strapped the kid into his seat as soon as she had gotten him out of the air lock. Now that she was coming back, with Slade in her arms this time, Ringo allowed himself to relax just a bit. They were all as safe as they could be for the moment, now he just had to get them back home.

As he guided the Blue Earth back to the Command Center, keeping a sharp eye on the instruments so he could make this trip as smooth as possible, Ringo found himself thinking back on what he had just seen. That new Teknoman had been a real piece of work; he’d managed to drive the thing off with the laser cannons, but he still couldn’t help thinking that the Teknoman had only retreated because it had suited the thing’s purposes. He really didn’t like that thought, but it was probably true.

There was no way in hell that something that could rip Spider-crabs to shreds with the kind of ease that the twins demonstrated on an almost-daily basis would be scared off by a couple of dinky laser cannons.

As the Blue Earth slipped through the intervening layers of atmosphere, headed for the Command Center where the four of them could get some rest and relaxation, Ringo breathed a bit more easily. They might not have been out of the woods just yet, but they were _nearly_ there, at least. The Command Center was the closest thing to a safe haven that any of them had in these times, and it almost seemed at times like it would always be there.

He didn’t really know if that was entirely true or not, but with the Wonder Twins around to protect them it was easy to believe that they were all perfectly safe.

Ringo know better than to fall into _that_ trap, though; nothing in the world was ever perfectly safe, not with the Radam constantly hovering over their heads. Once the Blue Earth was back on _terra firma_ and rolling neatly into her hanger, Ringo began the shut-down sequence just as the ship came to a complete stop. Rising from the pilot’s station, he made his way over to the chairs where the Wonder Twins had been strapped in during their ride back to Earth.

Those boys of theirs were pretty much dead to the world right now, and as he un-strapped Saber from his chair, he looked over his shoulder at Star. She’d gone right over to Slade as soon as the Blue Earth had settled on the ground, and now she had the big lug in her arms and was obviously getting ready to carry him to bed the way that she had done after the last battle that the Wonder Twins had participated in.

Grinning slightly as Star disappeared from his line-of-sight, Ringo picked Saber up and took the kid back to his own room. He really had to remember to talk to the kid about Star and his brother, and what the two of them might be able to do to get those two, Slade in particular since he was kind of a lunkhead, to at least admit that they were starting to feel something. Well, at least to get Slade to notice that _Star_ was; the kid himself was enigmatic enough that Ringo wasn’t sure sometimes if Slade even knew he _had_ feelings.

When he’d gotten Saber back into his bed, his boots off and tucked at least semi-neatly under the covers so he could get some much-needed sleep, Ringo turned and left.

Saber was all snug as a bug in a rug, and Ringo’s stomach was starting to aggressively remind him that he’d skipped breakfast just before the battle that he’d been a witness to. That, in turn, reminded him of the newest threat to Earth that he’d seen while they had all been up in space; he’d have to remember to mention that thing prominently in his report to the Commander. Sure, the cameras on the Blue Earth had been recording that entire skirmish of theirs, and it wasn’t like Commander Jamison didn’t know just as well as he did that any new Teknoman – any one that _wasn’t_ on their side, and so far none of the others seemed to be – was a threat to anything and everything that both the Space Knights and the AEM were fighting to protect, but he wasn’t about to let himself start to slack off in his duties.

That was a bad habit to get into in the first place, and it was more than likely going to end up getting him killed if he let himself slip that way.

Once he’d finished with the extra-large breakfast that he had promised himself in light of the fact that he hadn’t had time for breakfast at _all_ before he, Star, and the Wonder Twins had been called out to participate in that skirmish, Ringo left and made his way back to his quarters. He had a report to start writing.

0100010000

When he woke up, staring at the ceiling of his room and trying not to think about why that new Teknoman of Darkon’s had pulled back so suddenly, Slade sensed the familiar presence of his brother approaching. He wondered for a moment just what it was that his younger twin wanted, before he remembered, with a hint of embarrassment for his own forgetfulness, that he had asked Saber to come to him after their next battle against the Radam’s forces. Hauling himself up and out of bed with a bit more reluctance than he had previously felt, Slade yawned.

He might even try to take a bit of a nap today; god knew if he’d actually _get_ one, but he’d probably at least make the effort.

"Hey, brother," he said, smiling at his younger twin as Saber made his way into the room he’d only recently come to think of as his own.

"Hey," Saber said, turning a look of obvious concern on him. "Are you feeling all right, big brother? You look a bit pale."

"I’m still a bit worn out from the last fight," he said, opting not to mention the strange way that Darkon’s newest Teknoman had reacted to being fired on by the Blue Earth; he was probably just looking too deeply into something that really didn’t mean anything.

At least, that was what he was going to hope, anyway.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Saber said, and Slade sensed the short, muted surge of energy that he always did when either he or Saber materialized their teknocrystals. "I’m not really feeling entirely up-to-par myself, and _I_ didn’t end up in a scrap with one of Darkon’s Teknomen."

"Yeah," he said softly, taking Saber’s teknocrystal as his younger twin handed it to him.

As he sat back on the bed to examine it, taking special care to remember exactly what it had looked like the last time he’d seen it, just yesterday, Slade breathed a sigh of relief. The crack _wasn’t_ any deeper, nor had it gotten any longer since Saber had last used his teknocrystal to transform.

"It looks like you’re in the clear, little brother," he said, the relief he had felt at knowing that his younger brother was safe tempered by the fact that he knew Saber well enough to know that he would be right behind him every time Slade himself went into battle.

It wasn’t supposed to be that way; he was the older brother, he was supposed to _protect_ his younger siblings, and it was all the more urgent now that he only had one of his younger siblings left _to_ protect.

Biting the inside of his lower lip as he handed Saber his teknocrystal, he watched as Saber prepared to leave his room.

"Hey, Saber?" he called, before his younger brother could start shoving his feet into his boots but just after he had unfolded his legs and started to slide off the bed.

"Hmm? What is it, brother?"

"Why don’t you stay here, just this once?" he said, responding to the nonplussed look that his younger brother had given him in response to that admittedly impulsive suggestion. "We both had kind of a bad time of things in the last battle," he said, not wanting to be alone with his thoughts in the wake of this new development in their battle against Darkon’s forces, but not wanting to worry Saber if he could at all help it. "So, why don’t you and I take a nap; I’ll even let you use my shower when you wake up."

"Well, if you’re going to offer something like _that_ ," Saber said, trailing off with one of his more amused smirks.

As his younger brother settled himself more comfortably on the bed, Slade arranged his own body so that he himself would be able to sleep soundly. Both of them were the same height, so they would end up breathing in each other’s faces unless they paid attention to how they laid themselves out when they were sleeping double like this. As he tucked his pillow under his left arm and felt Saber leaning his forehead against his collarbone, Slade smiled slightly.

At least he wouldn’t be alone this time.

11010100001

When she and Ringo had finished compiling and comparing their reports for Commander Jamison, all Ringo had wanted to do was head out to the now-little-used lounge and settle down. Star didn’t quite know how long all of them would be able to rest like this, so she didn’t begrudge Ringo his desire. In fact, she had suggested to him that they invite the twins to come, too. A lot of the others seemed to have the same idea, she noticed, having seen Maggie, Mac, and even Tina heading for the lounge.

It was about then that she remembered that there was supposed to be a news broadcast today, something to tell the world how the war against the Radam was going; and, while she often found herself on the front lines of that very war, Star found herself craving that wider perspective at times.

Making her way through the corridors leading to Slade’s room, Ringo having volunteered to wake Saber and invite him in to watch with all of them, Star wondered briefly if the twins would even want to come in the first place. Both of them seemed to be a great deal more focused on the present moment and what they were doing then as compared to what might happen in the future or what was going on in the world at large. Star supposed that she could understand, though; both of the twins had more than enough to concern them without burdening themselves by thinking about things they might not be able to change.

When she reached Slade’s room, she rang the charm and waited. There was no answer, but just as she was about to ring it again, though, Ringo came striding up.

"Saber wasn’t in his room," he said, before she could ask him anything. "Have you talked to Slade yet?"

"I was just about to try again," she said, with a gesture to the privacy chime on Slade’s door.

"All right," Ringo said, folding his arms over his chest and relaxing a bit. "After we get Slade up and out of his room, I’ll see if I can get him to tell us where Saber’s gotten himself off to."

"Right," she said, nodding as she pressed the chime again.

When there was no answer for a second time, Star wondered if this was Slade’s way of saying that he didn’t want to come out. But no, if he honestly hadn’t wanted to go somewhere with them, it was more likely that if Slade didn’t want to come watch the broadcast with them that he would get up and tell them that himself. She was starting to get a bit worried, since Slade and his brother always seemed to be so aware of their surroundings; it wasn’t like either of them to be so silent.

"I _can_ override the lock, if you want me to, Star," Ringo said, slanting a look at her just as she was starting to wonder what could have happened to Slade to make him so reclusive.

Sure, he was quiet, but he wasn’t usually like _this_ ; he and Saber would have usually come out for breakfast by now, if nothing else. Nodding to Ringo just as he’d opened his mouth, probably to repeat his earlier question, Star clasped her hands and rested her chin on them. She hoped that nothing had happened to Slade, and that he wouldn’t be too upset with them for essentially violating his privacy like this. He and Saber were both such independent people, and she really _had_ tried to respect Slade’s privacy; but the Space Knights looked after their own, and if there was even a _chance_ that Slade was injured or sick, she wasn’t going to leave him to suffer alone.

When Ringo opened the door for them and stepped out of the way so she could have the first look inside, though, she found that her fears had run away with her. Slade was sleeping on his bed, though oddly enough he was sleeping on top of his covers. As Ringo started moving into the room, looking like he’d just seen something particularly interesting.

"Star, c’mere," he whispered, grinning like a cat up to his whiskers in cream. "You’ve _got_ to see this."

"Ringo, you know we just came in here to see if Slade was all right," she said, striding over to him and grabbing his arm. "We shouldn’t disturb him if he’s sleeping."

"C’mon, Star," Ringo said, giving her a sly look. "Just one, little peek before we leave."

Sighing in not-entirely-fond exasperation, knowing that Ringo would stay in here and bother either her or Slade until he had managed to get his way, Star made her way over to him.

"All right, Ringo," she whispered, annoyed. "Now what was it you wanted-"

Trailing off as she actually took the time to _look_ down at the bed where Slade usually slept, Star found that it wasn’t Slade that she’d seen when she had first glanced at the bed. Slade _was_ there, of course since it was his bed she was looking at, but so was Saber, and it had been him that she’d seen when she first came in. When she’d seen the person in the bed, their back to the wall and the bright red of a Space Knight vest calling most of her attention to it, Star had just figured that it was Slade. Now, though, she saw that Saber was sleeping in his brother’s bed too.

Slade had his hand on Saber’s waist, Saber’s hand was in almost the same place on his brother’s body, and Saber’s head was resting just below Slade’s neck.

"This _has_ to be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen since the invasion," Ringo whispered, grinning. "Look at them; just like a pair of kittens. Makes me wish I’d thought to bring my camera."

"We can _hear_ you, you know," Saber said, his words, spoken at a normal volume, sounded almost like a shout after the near-silence that Star had gotten used to.

Ringo jumped back from the bed like he’d been stung, or like one of the twins had taken a swing at him; they hadn’t, but as she watched Slade and Saber sit up on Slade’s bed, their bright eyes raking over her and Ringo, Star couldn’t help the feeling that they both would have deserved it. Here she had been going on and on about not violating Slade’s privacy, and she hadn’t done a single thing to stop him once she had realized that Slade was all right; that really wasn’t something a friend would have done.

Slade’s icy stare, backed by Saber’s annoyed expression, made Star feel about three inches tall.

"I’m sorry," she said quickly, making a concerted effort to look them in the eyes; they deserved at least that much. "I didn’t mean to disturb your rest."

"Oh, the rest was pretty much over once Bigfoot there came in," Saber said, giving Ringo a pointed glance.

"What do you two want?" Slade asked, his voice as flat as ever, but his tone colder than it had been even during the first time that they had spoken to one another.

"There’s going to be a news broadcast this morning, we haven’t missed it," she rushed to reassure them, feeling their eyes on her as they continued to fix her with that steady gaze. "But Ringo and I were wondering if the two of you wanted to come out to the lounge and watch it with us."

"That is, if you’re not too busy getting busy," Ringo said, giving the twins a sly, under-the-eyelashes look.

Star was just about to berate him for that; here he was in Slade’s room, having walked in on what was obviously a very private moment between the twins, and he was making fun of them! Before she could say even a single word, though, something hit Ringo right in the forehead with enough force to both knock him to the ground as well as to send the object itself bouncing off in another direction. Looking down at what the thing that had been bounced off of Ringo’s head actually was; it turned out to be a boot, one of the red ones that both of the twins wore with their uniforms.

Looking back at the twins, still sitting as neatly as you please on top of Slade’s bed, Star saw Saber smirking slightly and holding a red boot. She didn’t know if it was one of his or one of Slade’s, but since both twins wore the same uniform she didn’t think it quite mattered.

"Thanks a lot, Saber!" Ringo shouted, right hand pressed against his forehead where the boot had struck him.

"You’re welcome, Ringo," Saber said, his smirk widening into a grin that Star had never seen on his face; it almost made him look like an entirely different person. "Can I have my boot back now?"

"Oh, I’ll give you your boot back!" Ringo snapped, hurling the footwear at Saber’s head.

Star almost expected him to struggle a bit to catch it, since Ringo had a good throwing-arm and he never hesitated to use it, but Saber’s arm moved so quickly it only registered as a sort of blur, and when he stopped moving the boot was clutched in his hand again. "Thanks, Ringo," he said, still grinning.

Trying to stifle her laughter, even as Ringo grumbled in annoyance, Star watched as Saber and Slade both rose from Slade’s bed.

"So, _did_ you two want to watch the broadcast with us?" she asked again, since they had all gotten a bit distracted. "Or was there something else that you were planning to do today?"

"I think Saber might want to take a shower," Slade said, glancing over at his brother as he padded his way to the attached bathroom in his socks. "And I think I’ll go wash up, myself," he continued, as he turned and followed Saber.

"It’s not going to be for awhile yet," she said, smiling. "You’ll have time to get cleaned up."

Grabbing Ringo’s right ear, she dragged him out of Slade’s room, over his protests and complaints. Once they were both outside in the corridor, she let go of Ringo’s ear and stood in front of the door to Slade’s quarters; her left hand close enough to the controls that she would easily be able to stop him if he tried to override the lock again. It wouldn’t really make up for her violating the twins’ privacy in the first place, but it was a start.

That would have to be enough.

1010100101

When the Wonder Twins came out ten minutes later, Saber’s hair still a bit damp but otherwise with no signs of what they’d been doing with their time, Star smiled sheepishly at them as she apologized; though more at Slade than Saber, and he _really_ had to talk to the kid about his brother and Star. It was his sworn duty as her friend to annoy her about her crushes, and it was _Saber’s_ duty as Slade’s brother to tease him about his potential girlfriend.

So, that worked out really nicely.

As the four of them made their way down the corridors to the lounge, well the one that served _this_ section of the Command Center anyway, he sidled up next to Saber and gently bumped the kid’s shoulder to get his attention.

"What, Ringo?" the kid asked, looking as if he wasn’t quite sure to be annoyed or amused by what had gone on when they had all met up just a few minutes ago.

Of course, knowing that kid, he’d probably find it funny even _without_ any prompting. "You’ve seen how Star acts around your brother, right?" he asked, after giving Saber a bit of time to simmer down.

"You’d have to be completely oblivious _not_ to," Saber said, then he smirked. "Which is probably why Slade still hasn’t after all this time. What’s _that_ got to do with anything, though?"

"Well, we’re both Star’s friends, you know," he said, slinging his right arm around Saber’s shoulders as he, Saber, Slade, and Star made their way closer to the lounge and the TV waiting there. "And, as her friends, and with you even being Slade’s brother and all, there are certain things that we have to do."

As he explained to Saber just what their sworn duty as brother and friend, respectively, to the happy-couple-to-be entailed, Ringo wondered again about what they were going to see on the news today. He didn’t know quite what the broadcast was going to be about, well, he knew it was going to cover the state of the war in general and that it would probably mention Operation Joker and a few of the other missions that they had been on since then; what he _didn’t_ know was whether it was going to mention the twins, or the Space Knights in general. He thought that it would only be fair, what with the twins doing everything they could to bring an end to the invasion, and the Space Knights being their loyal support crew.

When they all finally reached the lounge, he settled down on the faded, beige mini-couch on the left-hand side of the large flatscreen TV that dominated the room and watched as the news started up.

"Now there’s a sight to make us all feel a little bit safer: for the first time in recent memory a supply-convoy has made it to us _completely_ intact," the newscaster, a good-looking lady with hair as dark as Star’s, cut so that it hung just below her ears. The choker she was wearing was a nice touch, too; it offset the dull off-white of her blouse nicely. "There was no alien opposition to the landing, largely thanks to the Allied Earth Military’s recent assault on the Radam forces occupying our orbiting Space Ring. The man most responsible for that strategic masterstroke: General Xercese Gault, had these comments today."

The feed switched to what was obviously a press-conference, formed for the express purpose of pumping up that overstuffed jerk’s already-huge ego. Gault was speaking to the small mass of reporters: "There is absolutely no doubt that the attack on the Space Ring and the destruction of their power-generators have dealt the enemy a crippling blow. This is by no means the end, or even the beginning of the end, of the invasion. But we can now see a light at the end of the tunnel. In short: the Allied Earth Military Command has turned the tide of the battle."

"Typical," he snapped, having started to suspect that none of the Space Knights’ contributions would be mentioned, especially with that jerk General speaking to the press, but still annoyed to be right about it. "That pompous old windbag takes the credit, when it was the twins and I who did the damage while _he_ sat at home polishing that billiard ball he’s got for a head!"

"Yeah," Saber scoffed, sounding both amused and annoyed. "He’s really what you’d call an armchair jackass."

"Armchair _General_ , Saber," Star admonished, looking back over her shoulder to where the twins were, both of them leaning back against the far wall.

"Oh, right," Saber said, smirking. "What did I say?"

Star shook her head in exasperation, as he flashed Saber a thumbs-up; Saber winked.

"Anyway," Star said, rounding on him again. "What were you expecting, Ringo? A victory parade or something? We’re not doing this for brownie points. The convoy got through safely, and _we_ know it was mostly thanks to us. That’s all the reward we can expect."

"For the first time in weeks I feel like the pressure’s off," Tina said, with a light, relieved laugh.

"At least for awhile," Mac added, though he was smiling too.

"What do you say, sir?" Maggie added, turning to look at the Commander, who’d been standing behind and to the right of the half-couch that she, Mac, and Balzac were all sitting on. "Considering the situation, do you think you could allow us to stand down from general-alert? We could all use the rest, I think."

"I couldn’t agree more, Maggie," the Commander said. "As of now you’re on shore leave; all of you."

"Shore leave?!" Tina exclaimed, leaping up from the couch with a squeal of excitement that served to remind Ringo of just how young she really was. "I can’t believe it!"

"First one since the invasion," Mac added, sounding surprised and pleased.

"Star, let’s you and me go shop till we drop," Tina said, rushing over to clap her hand on Star’s right shoulder.

"Sounds like fun," Star said, and Ringo saw the soft, happy smile that she wore when things were going well; or when she was thinking about Slade.

"Hold on," the Commander said, drawing their attention back to him. "This isn’t summer vacation. I want you all back here by 15:00."

"Come on, Commander, have a heart," he protested. "That’s not enough time to even _meet_ a girl, let alone find out her astrological sign or any important stuff like that."

"’Hey, baby, what’s your sign’?" Star mocked. "You really think anyone’s going to fall for that old line?"

1010100000

With all of the others busy working out what they were going to do with the time they had off, and the prospect of a half a day where they wouldn’t have to worry about being interrupted during a free-spar or when they just wanted to have some time off from all of the Space Knights, Slade bumped Saber’s shoulder to get his attention and the two of them left the lounge together. He heard Star wondering if _she_ was the one who had driven them off, and then Ringo making a joke about them believing in astrology, before the two of them managed to make it out of the lounge.

_ [So, dare I ask what  _ you’re _going to do with the majority of your time off, little brother?]_

_ [I’m going to see if I can find somewhere to take a nice, hot bath,] _ Saber said, giving him a sidelong smile.

_ [That’s what I  _ thought _,]_ he said, giving his younger twin a gentle punch on the shoulder.

"Hey, boys!" both of them turned to face Balzac as he came up from behind them. "Don’t you two want to join them for some R&R?" He and Saber gave the man their best are-you- _sane_ look, and he backed off a bit. "Geez; don’t get bent out of shape, I just thought you kids could use a break, that’s all. Hey, no offense. I was just trying to help."

They walked off with Balzac’s voice still echoing in the corridor behind them; he didn’t quite know what to make of the man, even with all the time that he’d spent at the Command Center with them. He tended to keep to himself, at least when he wasn’t wandering the corridors and trying to get to know him and Saber. Slade didn’t know just _why_ Balzac insisted on trying to get to know them when they both went out of their way to make it clear that they didn’t want to have anything to do with him; Slade didn’t know if it was a part of the man’s job to be so irritatingly persistent, but he wasn’t going to submit to whatever it was that Balzac had in mind.

He knew that Saber wasn’t going to, either, and so he did everything he could to keep his younger brother away from the man; of course, if Balzac did anything _really_ drastic, Saber was likely to start seeking him out for a good pranking.

"Hey!" it was Star calling them this time; with a glance at Saber, who shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him either way, he stopped. "Do either of you want to go out shopping with Tina and me?"

"I don’t think so," he said calmly. "Saber and I have a lot of stuff to do today; thanks for the offer."

Star, while she looked a bit disappointed in to hear that, nonetheless seemed just about ready to turn and leave him and Saber to their own devices. Tina, on the other hand, clearly wasn’t in the mood to leave well enough alone.

"Aw, come on," she said, and for just a few moments Slade was reminded of Shara, trying to get her older brothers to take her along with them; he shoved the memory aside. Now wasn’t the time for that kind of thing. "I know that _you’re_ just a big stick in the mud, Slade, but I think _Saber_ at least would want to go with us," she said, turning her wide, blue eyes on his younger twin in an expression that would have been perfectly at home on the face of one of their old cats when they had been begging for table scraps. "Won’t you, Saber?"

"Well, I don’t know," Saber said, deliberately looking just over Tina’s head rather than right at her; he’d always been one to let the cats eat out of his hand, back when they’d both lived in their old house. "Slade and I _do_ have a lot of things we’d like to do today, now that we actually have some time _off_."

"Oh, you can go do that anytime," Tina interjected, wrapping both of her arms around Saber’s right and trying to drag him off down the corridor. "This might be the one chance that we’re going to have to go into the city, and I’m not letting _both_ of you waste it staying around here in the Command Center doing nothing."

For a few, long moments, watching as Tina tried to convince Saber to go with her to the mall for a shopping trip, he saw Shara, trying to convince one of her beloved older brothers to take her along with them when they were going somewhere that she enjoyed. He could tell that Saber was seeing the same thing, since there was a softness in his eyes that he hadn’t seen since the two of them had been in the company of the second-youngest of their siblings. When Saber looked back at him, Slade smiled slightly and nodded almost imperceptibly; Saber’s lips curled upward slightly.

"All right," his younger twin said, and Tina stopped tugging at his arm.

"You really mean it?" she asked, and for a moment Slade was reminded of Shara all the more; that was something he’d heard her say often enough that he’d lost count.

"Yeah," Saber said, grinning down at her as Slade bit back his own smile. "Who knows, it might be fun."

"Great!" Tina exclaimed, and then she hugged Saber around the waist; when Saber gently reached up to stroke her hair, Slade shoved his hands into his pockets.

His eyes were starting to sting a bit, but he wasn’t going to cry; not here, at least. "Have a good time out there, little brother," he said, as Saber, Tina, and Star all started to walk away; he was glad that he’d managed to keep all but the slightest quaver out of his voice, and he was sure that no one but Saber would have noticed it, anyway.

"I’ll bring you back something nice, big brother," Saber said, winking over his shoulder as they all made their way down the corridor.

After the three of them passed out of sight down a bend in the corridor, Slade turned and headed back to his personal quarters. He wasn’t going to break down in a public place, and especially not in a corridor where anyone could just walk in on him. Moving quickly down the corridors between himself and his quarters, Slade hoped that he didn’t run into anyone.

00101001111

Having landed in a secluded, back area of one of the clothing stores that seemed to have been shut down by the encroachment of the Radam spore plants that had been seeded on Earth before any of them had been awakened to take their places within Lord Darkon’s ranks, Spear willed his transformation to recede. Of course, that left him in the slightly embarrassing situation of being completely naked, but he was in a _clothing_ store after all. Unfortunately, there was one obstacle that he would have to deal with before he could obtain what he needed.

Apparently, this store was _not_ quite as deserted as he had thought; there was a woman in the room with him.

She hadn’t looked his way yet, but Spear knew that it was only a matter of time before the human took notice of him. He would have to deal with her, and quickly, if he didn’t want to make this mission any more complicated than it was going to be by its very nature. He wasn’t particularly eager to handle the situation in the way that expedience dictated he should, but that didn’t mean much compared to the security of his mission. He couldn’t afford having someone who could identify him running around loose.

She was wearing a pink suit, with a knee-length skirt; the was blonde, and even with the lights off he could tell that she was fairly young. He didn’t relish what he was about to do, what he _needed_ to do to preserve the secrecy of his mission, but he would do it. His loyalty to Lord Darkon demanded nothing less.

Moving quickly, he covered the distance between her and himself in a movement that would have only registered as a vague sort of blur to any human who had been watching. Grabbing her neck, he wrenched it hard enough to shatter the human’s spinal column.

"I’m sorry," he muttered to the corpse, dropping it to the floor.

Gathering the clothes that he had decided to wear during this mission, Spear dressed quickly and left the room behind him; it was time to start searching for his dear little brothers.

0100100101

Once they had made it to the mall, Tina had said that Saber was going to need new clothes if he was going to go shopping with them. Saber seemed amused by the idea, and willing enough to go along with it that Star decided to go along herself. All of them had been saving up their pay by default during the invasion, given that there had been no real chance for any of them to go anywhere too far away from the Command Center, especially to somewhere so far away.

The city had had a name once, Star knew, but it had been a long time since she had had the time to think about something so mundane and ultimately trivial as that.

"Come on, you slowpokes!" Tina called gleefully over her shoulder, scampering into a cheerfully lit clothing store and waving to her and Saber. "Time’s a wasting!"

She heard Saber chuckle softly, and when Star turned to look at him she found that there was a small, almost wistful smile on his face; for a long moment, Star wondered just what Saber was thinking of. "We’re right behind you, Tina," he called, walking a bit more quickly. "Don’t get uptight."

Smiling as they all made it inside the store, Star watched as heads turned in their direction. She figured that it was only natural, since Saber was one of the heroes who helped to save the world on an almost daily basis; Saber seemed a bit bemused by all of the attention, though. Star couldn’t help thinking that it was a good thing that Slade had decided not to come; he didn’t seem to do well around large numbers of people.

"Look, it’s Slade!" cried a boy who looked about five or six years old, racing over to them with his parents following close behind; Saber laughed.

"I’m very sorry about this, Slade," the woman, obviously the boy’s mother judging from the family resemblance, said, as her son tugged on the bottom of Saber’s red Space Knight vest.

"It’s not really a problem," Saber said, reaching down to ruffle the boy’s hair a bit. "Though, I have to admit that I’m not actually Slade."

"Oh," the woman said, her expression sheepish. "I’m sorry, Saber."

"It happens," Saber said, with a shrug of one shoulder and a soft chuckle. "We _are_ twins, after all."

"You mean you’re actually _Saber_?" the boy asked, looking up at Saber. "That’s so cool! Your armor looks the best!"

"Really?" Saber asked, looking down at the boy with a gentle smile on his face.

"Yeah! It’s all black and has these really cool horns!"

"You know, my brother’s helmet has horns, too," Saber said, his smile a bit more whimsical than it had been before.

"Yeah, but they’re just plain old white," the boy said, grinning up at Saber. "Yours are red, and there are three of them, and they look really cool!"

Saber laughed.

"I do apologize for my son’s mistaking you for your brother, Saber," the woman said, and Star saw Saber smiling gently.

"It’s not a problem," Saber said, his smile widening a bit. "There’s actually three ways you can tell me apart from my brother," he elucidated, holding up three fingers presumably to count them off. "I have blue eyes," he said; one finger went down. "Slade has some scarring over his left eye, and you can see that I don’t." Another finger down. "And finally, I don’t have a mullet."

Star laughed; she couldn’t help it, Saber somehow managed to look so solemn while he was making such a patently absurd statement. Saber turned his head, winking at her as the small family walked away, seeming almost as amused by Saber’s antics as Star herself had been. Tina came back then, having left before the boy had started talking to Saber and hence having missed the funny things that Saber had said.

They had pretty much managed to contain their mirth, or at least she had, since Saber had just seemed like he was amused because _she_ had been laughing at what he’d said, so Tina wasn’t left to wonder what it was that they both found so funny.

"All right, Saber," Tina said, grinning impishly as she held up the bag that most likely contained the clothes that she had bought. "I got you an outfit you can wear."

"All right," Saber said, reaching out for the bag; Tina pulled it just out of reach, then she did it again when he made another grab for it. "Tina, I can’t exactly put on those clothes you bought for me if you don’t give me the bag."

"I want this outfit to be a _surprise_ , Saber," Tina said, grinning as she held the bag up close to her chest.

"So, I have to dress up with my eyes closed?" Saber asked, obviously a bit nonplussed by Tina’s intent.

"No! Of course not," Tina laughed, grinning impishly again as she grabbed Saber’s right hand and started to tug him forward. "Star and I are going to help you get dressed. I saw some dressing rooms on my way here, so you two just come with me. Okay?"

Saber seemed more than a little bemused by Tina’s insistence that he not see the clothes he was going to wear until he was actually wearing them, but he also seemed willing to follow her lead. Letting Tina show them the way to the dressing rooms, Star turned to look at Saber as the two of them fell into step beside each other. He was looking down at Tina as they walked, but it didn’t seem like he was actually _seeing_ her.

It was a strange thought, but the look in Saber’s blue eyes was far-off, and if it had been anyone else Star would have said that they were likely looking into the past, but Saber and Slade had both... Right then, Star recalled what Saber had said to Dr. Random again; they _remembered_ ; could that be it? But why would they lie about something like that?

What had happened to them, that they had decided to pretend that they didn’t know anything about themselves, not even their own names?

Before she could begin to speculate further, the three of them came to the dressing rooms that Tina had found on her way to get Saber’s new clothes, or maybe on her way back.

"All right, here we are," Tina said, letting go of Saber’s hand as she turned to grin up at him.

Saber, for his part, seemed to regain his composure almost instantly, smiling down at Tina and clearly seeing _her_ now instead of whoever or whatever he had been seeing before.

"I’ll just go in there and get undressed, then," Saber said, smiling almost whimsically at her and Tina.

"All right, Saber," she said, smiling back at him; she still wondered why it was that he and Slade hadn’t spoken about their past, if they actually _did_ remember them, but when she thought about it again she decided that it was their business what they did and that she shouldn’t interfere. "Just tell us when you’re done."

"I will," Saber said, giving Star a sly look back over his right shoulder. "Just don’t start ogling me while I’m undressed, all right? I know you have a crush on my brother, but let’s not go overboard here."

Star felt her cheeks start to burn, and saw Saber wink knowingly at her as he disappeared behind the swinging door of the dressing room. Palming her face in mingled amusement and embarrassment, Star laughed softly. Count on Saber to notice something his brother hadn’t solely for the purpose of teasing her about it. For a moment she wondered if Ringo had put him up to it, then decided that he’d probably thought of that on his own.

Anyone could see that Saber and Ringo had the same oddball sense of humor.

"All right, I’m all ready for you," Saber called from inside the dressing room.

"We’ll be right in, Saber," Tina called back; Star, still a bit off-balance from Saber’s teasing, followed without a word.

She found Saber, stripped down to his standard-issue undergarments, sitting on the bench at the far end of the dressing room with his eyes closed. For a moment, Star was reminded strongly of the first time that she, and Ringo of course, had met the twins. Of course, back then both of them had been severely injured; she often suspected that Gunnar had been the one responsible, but since he was dead she elected not to mention anything, and both she and Ringo had been more concerned with getting them to the Command Center for medical treatment than anything else.

Now, though, she could clearly observe the toned musculature of Saber’s body and the way he held himself; it reminded her of a cat: resting for the moment, but still clearly capable of springing into action at the slightest hint of trouble.

"C’mon, Star," Tina said, grinning impishly up at her. "Saber told you not to ogle him."

"Taking shameless advantage of someone in my position," Saber _tsk_ ed, smiling mischievously at her, his eyes closed and his arms folded across his broad chest. "What _am_ I going to do with you?"

"Don’t worry, Saber," Tina said, grinning. "I’ll keep Star in line."

"Thank you, Tina. It’s nice to know I have _someone_ here I can count on."

"All right, that’s enough," Star said, amused but wanting to get on with what they were _really_ going to be doing here. "I just got a little lost in thought."

"It must have been unfamiliar territory, then," Saber responded, wearing an impish grin of his own.

"Very funny, Saber," Star said, as Tina set down the bag with Saber’s new clothes and they both began to dig through it.

The outfit itself was pretty basic, though the colors were a bit unusual: a pale turquoise v-neck t-shirt, brown leather jacket with a wide collar, and denim jeans that hovered indecisively between violet and a dark, charcoal gray. The simple, slip-on ankle boots were the same color as the jacket, though a few shades darker, looking almost black as opposed to the dark-chocolate color of the jacket itself.

As she and Tina helped Saber to get dressed, handing him his new clothes and helping him to pull them on when that became necessary, Star began to see why Tina had picked out this particular outfit. As strange as it looked seeing them separate, on Saber the outfit actually worked. She thought that it was probably because Saber was actually quirky enough to pull such an outlandish-seeming outfit off.

"Saber," Tina chided. "Stop trying to peek!"

"All right, you caught me," Saber said, laughing softly as he shut his eyes again. "I’ll be good."

Tina nodded sharply, and Star had to swallow a laugh at the look of satisfaction on the younger girl’s face.

"All right, all finished," Tina said, stepping back with a wide, satisfied smile. "You can open your eyes now, Saber."

"You really mean that?" Saber asked, all wounded innocence and so obviously faking it that Star just had to laugh. "The last time I tried that, you yelled at me."

" _Say-ber_ ," Tina said, rolling her eyes. "Let’s get going, you goof; we’ve been standing around here doing nothing for way too long! We haven’t got all day, you know," she chided, grabbing Saber’s hand and pulling him out of the dressing room.

Star, smiling softly, followed them out of the store. She wished for a few moments that Slade had come, but in the end it was his decision, and she had to respect that. Once they were all back in the open air, she smiled. While she might wish that Slade had come with them, Saber certainly had his own charm about him.

"Look at this place, it all seems so _normal_ ," Tina said happily, looking around at all of the people walking around in the mall’s main concourse.

"It’s like a whole other world out here, isn’t it Tina?" Star asked.

"Yeah!" Tina exclaimed happily, her right hand still firmly wrapped around Saber’s left. "This place is so happy and peaceful, you’d never know there was a war going on or that the whole planet was fighting for its life."

"Until you look up and see _that_ thing," Star said, catching sight of one of the many large, purple plants that were growing all over the planet. "Another one of those Radam spore plants."

All three Space Knights looked with varying degrees of contempt at the Radam plant, but Saber felt a special kind of revulsion for those plants. It wasn’t just the fact that they were Radam constructs, it was also something else. Something _far_ more personal.

"Come on," Star said cheerily, breaking the sudden melancholic mood that had come over the three Space Knights. "We’ve got some serious shopping to do."

"Shopping, yay!" Tina exclaimed.

With a sigh and a dramatic roll of his eyes, Saber followed the two women deeper into the mall. "I just hope I don’t get relegated to package-carrying duty."

"Now, Saber," Star said, smiling in a manner that didn’t reassure Saber in the slightest. "Why would you be worried about a silly little thing like that?"

"Let’s just say I’ve had some rather unpleasant experiences with the mall."

"Really?" Star asked, genuinely curious. "You’ve been here? Or at least gone to places like this before?"

_ Oops, said too much _ , Saber winced internally. "It’s not a big deal, really," Saber said, hoping Star would see fit to drop the subject.

"Oh," Star said, seeming to be disappointed with Saber’s reply but not saying anything else.

"Oh come on, you two!" Tina exclaimed with equal measures of excitement and impatience in her tone. "We can all talk when we get back to the Command Center. Right now we’re on shore leave, so let’s enjoy it!"

"All right Tina, let’s go do some power-shopping!" Star exclaimed, getting into the spirit of things.

Saber rolled his eyes again.

00101000101

Far away from his three fellow Space Knights, Ringo was sitting on a low wall eating a chocolate bar and watching some kids play a game of soccer. Ringo loved soccer, and he often wished that he could have more time to play. Heck, he often wished he had more time to have a normal life. But all that came in second to stopping the Radam invasion, Ringo knew.

When one of the kids kicked the ball over to where he was sitting, Ringo couldn’t resist the urge to join the game. Jumping down off the wall, Ringo kicked the ball up into his hands and then started dribbling it on his knee. As the kids all gathered around him, Ringo grinned at them. He was glad that he had the chance to do things like this; things that were normal and fun and really had no purpose beyond that.

Playing with these kids would definitely fit the bill.

"You know," he said, grinning down at the kids as they all looked up at him. "I used to be pretty good at this game. Mind if I join you?"

"Okay!" the three kids called happily, though they seemed to be more focused on his chocolate bar than on him; maybe he’d buy them some of their own later.

10100010001

"It’s not that I _mind_ being reduced to the status of a pack mule," Saber said lightly, leaning his head out from behind the two stacks of boxes that he had been asked to carry. "It’s just that when you two insistently ‘suggested’ that I go with you to see the city, I actually thought that I would be able to, you know, _see_ the city."

Saber, having said his piece, straightened back up. The stacks of boxes were once more blocking his line of sight, but he could hear Star giggling softly beside him. Tina was laughing, and Saber grinned at them both. "Oh, and I feel that I should warn you ahead of time about this: if either of you tries to put a bell around my neck, I’m going to scream."

"Now _there’s_ an idea," Tina said with a laugh. "Hey, Star, see anywhere we might be able to buy a bell?"

"I hate you both," he flatly informed them; they laughed.

"Wow! A store full of stuffed animals!" Tina exclaimed; groaning semi-theatrically, though he wasn’t even close to reaching the limits of his endurance, Saber followed her.

"Tina, grow up," Star chided, but Saber could tell by her tone that she was only teasing.

"Plenty of time for _that_ later," Tina retorted. "C’mon, Saber."

"You’re trying to bury me in packages, aren’t you," he groused, grinning as Tina laughed. "You and Star have been conspiring against me all day; admit it."

"You’re so weird," Tina laughed.

Once they’d gotten into the relative darkness of the shop, Saber took another step and smacked right into an obstacle.

"Tina," he said, exasperated but mildly amused. "What have I told you about steering me into walls?"

"Saber?"

"Maggie?" he echoed her question, tilting his head in confused recognition, and then smiling slightly. "I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone I knew here, especially not literally."

"Well, I would say it’s nice to see you, but I _can’t_ actually see you behind those boxes," Maggie said.

He laughed. "Yes, well, you can blame Star and Tina for that. I certainly do. So, what brings _you_ to a place like this?"

"Oh, this place always has the latest in high-technology: fractal-imagery scanners, meta-logarithmic encryption decoders; you name it."

"Ah, I get it," he said. _Super-geek strikes again._

"Sounds fun," Tina said, though she didn’t really sound like she meant it. "Here, let me take some of those packages off your hands, Saber."

"You sure?" he asked. "It’s no real trouble to carry."

"Yeah; we’re going to be getting lunch soon, anyway, and I just thought you might like to have a break before we eat."

"Well, that _would_ be nice," he said, as he let Tina take her stack of packages. "Thanks."

When they left the shop without buying anything, Saber breathed a short sigh of profound relief; he really hadn’t been looking forward to being handed yet another package to carry. Peeking out from behind the stack of boxes that he was still carrying for Star, Saber managed to find her fairly quickly. Just as he was about to call out to her, though, someone passed between them.

_ That face... _ The familiar lines, that strong chin, even the way he moved; it was almost as familiar to Saber as his own, true name. _It can’t be; I must be seeing things. I_ hope _I’m seeing things._

"Hey, Saber?" Star said; he looked up as he felt Star’s hand resting on his left arm; he hadn’t even noticed her taking the packages from him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," he said, still a bit shaken up by what he hoped he _hadn’t_ seen. "Yeah, I’m fine," he said, tucking his now-free hands into the pockets of his pants.

"I wonder how Slade’s doing," Maggie mused, and for a moment Saber was surprised by her composure.

It made sense, though; none of them had ever seen any of the others, and it wasn’t like he or Slade had been particularly forthcoming about anything related to their shared past. Those wounds had still been too raw when they had first arrived, and things had been entirely too hectic afterward.

"I’m sure my brother’s fine," he said, working up one of his usual smiles; he didn’t want to worry them, especially since he was hoping that he’d been wrong about what he’d seen. "He’s probably found some way to amuse himself without us already."

1010010100

Breathing deeply as he slammed kick after knee-butt after kick into the bright red bag in front of him, both his Space Knight vest and his undershirt neatly folded and lying on the counter where the sinks were, Slade imagined for a few seconds that he was facing Saber. He could almost see his younger brother’s grin, as he blocked and dodged, keeping just out of reach of Slade’s strikes.

_ [Hey, little brother, how’ve you been doing? They treating you all right?] _ he asked, having long since fallen into a rhythm and hence not having to think too much about what he was doing.

_ [Well, I know what a sled dog feels like,] _ Saber said, but he could tell that his younger brother was enjoying himself. _[Whether that’s a good thing or not is still up in the air.]_

_ [Well,  _ you _were the one who volunteered to go out with them, little brother,]_ he chided, grinning a bit.

_ [I know: my own fault,] _ Saber retorted, laughing.

For a few moments, as he continued with his routine, Slade had the fleeting idea that Saber was uneasy about something. But that was stupid; Saber would have _told_ him if there was something bothering him. It was what they always did for each other.

"Take a break, will ya?" Turning to face Mac, Slade breathed deeply to steady himself, the way he had long since learned to do. "Relax; go get some fresh air."

"You mean go gallivanting around the city, like my slacker brother? No thanks; there’s nothing for me out there."

Turning back to the bag, which had almost stopped swaying from the earlier momentum he’d imparted to it, Slade began kicking it again. He was just starting to think about contacting Saber again, maybe so they could talk about that feeling of unease that he’d gotten from Saber; and probably so that his brother could tell him to stop being a spaz, he heard Mac speaking up again.

"This is the first day off we’ve had in over two months," the man said, sounding bemused. "Why not take it easy for awhile? Why’re you pushing yourself so hard, lad?"

"It kind of helps me take my mind off things," he said, landing on his feet and panting slightly. "Saber and I _were_ planning to spend some time sparring, but that kind of went out the air lock, what with Star and Tina dragging him off and all."

"You really need to learn to relax better, lad," Mac said, coming over with an amused look on his face. "Come on."

As Mac took him by his right wrist, Slade decided that he would follow him; it wasn’t as if he couldn’t leave if he found what Mac was doing too boring, and Saber probably would have left to take his bath by now, anyway.

01010010011

While the four of them, Maggie having been invited along by Star, settled down at the table to eat their respective lunches, Saber tried not to dwell on the person he might or might not have seen going down the escalator when he, Tina, and Maggie had met up with Star outside of that last shop. It probably wasn’t who he thought it was, anyway; he could hope so, at least.

"Hey, Saber, are you feeling all right?"

"Huh?" looking up, Saber found that he was the center of attention for three very worried people. "Sure I am. Why wouldn’t I be, Star?"

"It was just that you seemed so far away just then," Star said, looking at him with such genuine concern that Saber felt warm just thinking about it; he also felt like kind of a jerk for worrying her so much.

"I was just letting my mind wander a bit; don’t worry, it always comes back," he said, winking.

Maggie and Tina both laughed; Star smiled, but the look in her eyes still clearly showed that she was worried about him. He was touched, but he didn’t even know if what he’d seen was right or not, and explaining it to them would mean that Slade would end up finding out. He didn’t want his older twin to worry about what might have just as easily been a case of mistaken identity.

_ Right; maybe if I keep telling myself that, I’ll start to believe it sometime soon, _ Saber groused, maintaining firm mental walls between his own mind and Slade’s.

"Well, now that we’ve all had some actual _food_ ," Maggie said, drawing Saber’s attention back to the present and the people he was currently with. "What’s say we get some of those churros that Saber caught a whiff of while we were on our way here."

"Well, _I’m_ definitely in favor of that," he said, grinning slyly at her.

"I knew _you_ would be," Maggie said, grinning right back at him. "How about you two? Star? Tina?"

"I think I’d like to try one," Tina said. "Saber certainly seemed happy about them, and they really _did_ smell good."

"None for me, thanks," Star said. "I’m full."

"All right, so that’ll be five churros," Maggie said, giving him a knowing look; he laughed. "I’ll go get them."

"Here," he said, digging his cash card out of his wallet. "For my share."

"My treat," Maggie said, smiling as she pushed the offered card back to him.

"Wow; thanks," he said, tucking the card back into the wallet that had been the first purchase he’d made with the money he’d made over his and Slade’s time with the Space Knights.

Sometimes it felt like they’d just gotten there, and sometimes it felt like they had been there forever.

"Thanks a lot, Maggie," Tina said, smiling happily.

As Maggie went off to get them some sweet snacks, the kind that Saber hadn’t had since his and Slade’s life had been all but destroyed by the Radam, Saber wondered how his older twin was doing; he certainly hoped Slade wasn’t working himself too hard.

10101001011

Having straddled a chair next to Mac’s work area, the one next to the large computer console that he was starting to suspect was a standard feature of the quarters that the Space Knights were given, Slade settled himself into it and clasped his hands together loosely over the back of it. He was almost reminded of the way he and Saber would clasp hands, just to let the other know that they were there. He was having some trouble getting his attention to focus on just what it was that Mac was actually _doing_ , though.

"No offense, Mac," he said, as the man finished carving a stick of what he thought for a few moments might have been Balsa wood, and ran it through a small fire for some reason. "But, I’ve had more fun watching a glacier melt. What’re you doing, anyway?"

"I’m making a kite," he said, after having examined the stick.

"A _kite_?" he asked, surprised; whatever he’d been expecting, it hadn’t quite been that.

"Someday, when the war is over, I’m going to fill the sky with them," Mac said, looking over at the wall opposite where he was working; Slade followed his gaze. "You want to try your hand at one?" he asked, tossing Slade the stick he’d been working on. "They’re not as simple as they look."

Contemplating the stick in his hands for a few moments, Slade considered the kites that he’d just seen; there were four of them in the room, hanging neatly together on the wall; the topmost on the left was an idyllic rural scene, with a big red barn as a centerpiece and fluffy white clouds in the sky; the one next to it had a simple pattern of bold, gold and brown stripes; the one on the bottom left had a picture of a sunset behind a large mountain, with wide, green fields in the foreground; and the last one was a simple, bold red, with black calligraphy. It was a nice collection, Slade had to admit, lending a bit of color to a room that would have otherwise been completely indistinguishable from his quarters, or Saber’s, or anyone else’s that he could think up.

It was also nice to think that, someday, he and his brother would be finished with their personal war; no matter what the final cost ended up being, Slade wanted things _settled_.

"Mm-hmm. Why not," he said, offering a slight smile in response to Mac’s wink.

"That’s the spirit, laddie," Mac said, as Slade himself climbed down from the chair and joined Mac on the mat.

This was something that he had never done before, and wouldn’t Tina have laughed; him finding something to do that _didn’t_ involve sparring with his brother or fighting against the Radam. He thought Saber would find it kind of funny, too, but then his younger twin would probably understand just why it was that he did it. That both needed to be reminded that they were still human, sometimes; it sometimes seemed like he needed it more than Saber, though.

But then, Saber _had_ always been the stronger one.

1110100010

He was almost done with the last of his churros, his lips covered in a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar that he hadn’t yet licked off, when he heard the sound of voices drawing nearer. Looking up, Saber found that Ringo was just finishing a talk with some woman. The woman was fairly nice-looking, he noted distantly, as he watched Ringo say what looked like a farewell to her and then wave to the four of them.

"Hey, guys," Ringo said, swaggering a bit as he joined up with the four of them. "I guess all good things must come to an end; a bit early for my tastes, though."

"Yes, we all know how _you_ like to spend your time, Casanova," he said, smirking as Ringo fell into step with them as the five of them as they came up to the side of the Jeep that they had used to travel down to the city in the first place.

"You should try it, sometime," Ringo said, grinning at him as he climbed into the passenger seat; he’d driven them to the city, so he’d said that it was only fair that someone else get to drive them back. "That pretty face of yours is bound to get you a lot of attention."

Saber would have offered to drive himself, but since he’d only gotten his learner’s permit before the Radam had come, and since he’d never gotten a license in this new identity of his, he climbed into the back seat with Tina and Maggie. The rumble of the Jeep’s engine as it started up almost reminded him of the thrum of the Blue Earth’s engines as it lifted off; on a much smaller scale, of course. It was good to think of those kinds of things, they helped to distract him from other things.

Other things that he was trying very hard _not_ to think about.

"Saber!"

Startled, Saber tried to suppress the slight, unnerving urge he’d gotten to go for the throat of the person who had just spoken. "What is it, Star?" he asked, once he’d shoved that urge back into the Radam-influenced part of his subconscious where it belonged.

"We’re back at the Command Center," she said, looking worriedly at him as Tina and Maggie exited the car.

He smiled, putting out nonchalance like he’d been doing more often lately. "Sorry, I just got a little absorbed in the scenery. It’s a beautiful countryside out there, you know."

The others seemed to take that in stride, Ringo already launching into a tale of his exploits in the city while the rest of them had been browsing the mall, but Star was till looking at him like she suspected something. He tried out one of his more winsome smiles on her, but she turned away before he could tell if it was working or not. After a quick stop at each of their quarters in turn, to change back into their respective uniforms and drop off their respective purchases, Saber making a mental note to show Slade what he’d gotten for him later, the five of them met up in the corridors leading to Comm. One.

There were probably going to check in with Commander Jamison, since he was the one who had given them leave in the first place and so it was probably standard procedure to let him know that they were back. Ringo was currently talking about the woman that he had met, presumably the one that he had been saying goodbye to when he, Tina, Maggie and Star had met up with the man.

"So I said to her ‘sorry, but the boss hasn’t given me time to _flirt_ , let alone go out on a _date_ ’. She was obviously nuts about me," Ringo bragged, stretching his arms up above his head. "But, sometimes you have to say sorry, not available."

"Of course," he said, giving Ringo a who-do-you-think-you’re-kidding look.

"By the way, Saber, what was bothering you so much back when we were about to leave for lunch?" Star asked, turning that same, worried look on him that she’d had before.

"Something was bothering you?" Slade asked; Saber winced inwardly.

This was just what he’d been hoping to _avoid_.

"I think Saber might have recognized someone at the mall," Star said. "Whoever it was, seeing them really shook him up."

"Yeah, he was all agitated and quiet on the ride back to the Command Center. In fact," Tina giggled. "He was almost acting like _you_ , Slade."

"I wasn’t _that_ bad," Saber protested.

"Yes, you were," Tina and Star both said at once.

"What happened, anyway?" Slade asked cautiously.

"Well, it happened awhile after Saber had offered to carry our packages for us," Tina said.

"Under extreme duress, I might add," Saber cut in. Tina stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, anyway, Saber was carrying our stuff. And then this guy brushed past us. He wasn’t rude about it or anything, and all he did was get on the escalator and go down. But Saber acted like… I don’t know, like he knew the guy or something," Tina said.

"Really?" Slade asked warily, thinking about just who would cause that kind of a reaction in his normally composed brother. "What did he look like?" Slade asked Saber.

"He had short hair," Saber said, hoping that Slade would be able to tell him that he’d just been seeing things. "He was wearing a white tee-shirt and blue jeans, and he had a brown jacket on over it. I don’t think he was shopping. He looked more like he was trying to find someone. Trying to find a very specific someone," _Or two,_ Saber added silently.

"What else?" Slade demanded.

"He was tall," Saber went on almost-reluctantly, but only Slade noticed his brother’s hesitation. "Taller than me, even. His hair was black, and cut very short like I said earlier. He was kind of pale, though not really as much as me. Just like he hasn’t been out in the sun for some time."

"You _never_ look like you’ve been out in the sun, even when you _have_ ," Tina said, winking.

"Quiet, you," Saber shot back, giving her a short, gentle swat on the top of her head.

Tina stuck her tongue out at him again.

Watching Saber with Tina, anyone else would have thought that he didn’t have a care in the world; but Slade wasn’t like most people. He knew when his brother was trying to talk around something; there was something bothering him, but he was trying to avoid saying it. More than anything, _that_ scared him. Saber wasn’t the kind to go dancing around the truth, he always tended to push for a confrontation; even when it hurt.

That was really what made him who he was.

If something could be bad enough to make _Saber_ fear confronting it, then Slade didn’t want to face whatever it was alone. He had a feeling, though…

_ [Ness. Cain. How are you, my dear little brothers?] _ a curious, wistful voice echoed through the minds of both twins at the same time.

And, unseen to all the other Space Knights, a pair of symbols that looked like miniature, glowing outlines of their respective teknocrystals appeared on their foreheads. The symbols were even in the correct colors.

_ [Can’t you hear me calling, little brothers? I’m waiting for you. Won’t you come out to visit me? I’ve been thinking about you all this time; we really need to talk.] _

Slade had covered his teknocrystal symbol with his right hand, to keep anyone else from seeing it and starting to ask questions. Saber, meanwhile, was trying to deal with having a suspicion confirmed that he’d so badly wanted to be wrong. It had been hard enough to deal with Gunnar, and he’d only been a friend. A very close friend, one who Saber had once felt as if he could share all his problems with, but not quite family.

Fighting your own family was always different, always _worse,_ than fighting someone who wasn’t related to you. No matter how close the two of you had been, or at least that was what Saber had kept telling himself during the times that he and Slade had been forced to fight Gunnar. Now, though… Saber sighed, it wasn’t going to be so easy to distance himself from what he and his brother would have to do, not this time.

"Hey, what’s going on?" Tina asked, looking from Slade to Saber and then back again. "What’s wrong?"

Neither twin had the presence of mind just then to answer, but Saber was the one who stayed the longest. Longest being a relative term in this case, since he cut and ran only a few seconds after Slade had. The other Space Knights stared in mute shock at the place where the twins had been standing.

01001000101

_ [I can’t believe it’s him; I think I could have handled one of the others.] _

Slade could hear the stunned dejection in his brother’s ‘voice’, but he didn’t answer for fear that the action would make the situation all too real for him. As long as he didn’t think about it too much, then he could fight. It was what he had to do; none of… them would ever give any quarter. It just wasn’t in their nature anymore.

And now, with Gunnar gone, they had to face down one of the others. One of the people who had been related to them by blood; who still was, if either of them would have let themselves think about that. Thoughts like that would have made it all but impossible to fight what was now their enemy, however, so he tried to keep that out of his mind; he knew Saber was doing the same.

He was the first one to make it to the Jeep, so by silent agreement he got to drive. They were soon enough on their way out of the base, following the trail of psychic impressions that their once-older brother was leaving for them. Slade knew who it was now, and a quick glance at Saber’s face told him that his brother had recognized the one who was calling them as well by this time, too.

He’d been one of their first friends, and now they were going to face him in a battle to the death; Slade didn’t want to think of the possible outcome, but he couldn’t help wondering what would happen when they arrived. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good.

The wind whipped through their hair where it got past the Jeep’s windows, ruffling the long black strands as the two brothers made their way closer to their inevitable fight. A fight with someone who had once been both a family member and a close friend. Slade pushed a few speed limits on his way there, wanting to have the confrontation over with but not wanting to deal with the police if he could avoid it.

Luck, if one really wanted to call it that, was on their side; there was no police presence in this area. In fact, the roads they took were deserted but for the jeep they were riding in. Neither of them quite knew if they should take that as a good omen or a bad one. Still, nothing would be solved if they didn’t solve it, and leaving _him_ out on his own wasn’t really an option.

Not with what he would be willing to do to make them come and confront him. Not with him being as dangerous as he was. This wasn’t their older brother they were dealing with anymore; this was one of Darkon’s Teknomen, coming to kill them because they had escaped his control.

They were going to have to fight to survive, just like they had done with Gunnar.

Arriving at the battleground, they started moving through the long rows of teknoplants on their way to meet… their enemy.

Seeing him, staring up at one of the teknoplants as he almost lovingly caressed the large root standing just in front of him, Slade bit the inside of his cheek so that he wouldn’t wince. Conrad had always had something of a thing for plants; not anywhere near the passion that he’d had for cooking, but enough that this wasn’t so much of a surprise. That was what made it hurt more: the mannerisms were the same, but this _wasn’t_ Conrad they were dealing with anymore.

This was one of Darkon’s pet assassins.

"Hello again, little brothers," the Teknoman said.

He was smiling; he actually managed to look _kind_ , as if he was actually happy to see them. Slade wasn’t going to fall for it. Grabbing for Saber’s hand, wanting reassurance that he wasn’t alone, Slade stepped forward to confront the newest of Darkon’s Teknomen.

"Drop the act, _Spear_ ," he growled, realizing then that he knew the name of Darkon’s newest servant. "What’ve you come for?"

"I’ve _come_ to bring you and Cain back into Lord Darkon’s fold, Ness," Spear said, still wearing that happy smile on his face, though it seemed a bit condescending now.

"No thanks," Saber snapped.

"That goes for me, too; we’re _not_ going back to be mind-slaves to that _monster_ ," he snarled. "And nothing you can say or do is going to make us."

"Come now, little brothers, don’t be difficult," Spear said, the smile on his face slipping away, leaving him with an expression of mild annoyance. "Neither of you could possibly belong here, so why don’t you just come back with me, where you _do_ belong?"

"You know just as well as we do that what Darkon is attempting here is madness," he said, opting not to mention his and Saber’s place with the Space Knights; god only knew what Spear would do with _that_ kind of information.

Spear chuckled, clearly amused. "That’s called survival of the fittest, little brother. It’s a simple fact of life, and _you_ have to deal with it."

"You, and I, and all the other Teknomen, _come_ from this planet! These are _our people_ you’re helping him exterminate!" he shouted, spreading his arms wide to encompass the world at large; everything that Darkon was threatening by his presence and his plans. "They’re human beings, just like the three of us!"

Spear sighed, the fingers of his right hand pressed to his forehead, in the way that Conrad had always done when he was exasperated by something. "You know, little brother, it sounds like you actually _believe_ that. These insects shouldn’t mean anything to us; yes, some of them might very well be strong enough to properly serve the Empire, but by and large they’re worthless to us."

And there it was; something Conrad would never have said, under any circumstances. Now he could fight; he didn’t know if he could _win_ , since brother or not this Teknoman still had all of Conrad’s skill and experience, but he could _fight_.

"These people are under our protection, _Spear_ ," he heard Saber say, and he smiled slightly; whatever else might happen, at least he didn’t have to face Spear alone. "We’re not about to let Darkon, or anyone else, kill them without a fight."

Spear sighed, looking slightly more annoyed. "Is this the way it’s going to be, little brothers? A _fight_?"

"You’re no brother of ours, _Spear_ ," he snarled.

"You lost the right to call us family when you gave up your humanity," Saber said flatly.

"I see," Spear’s eyes had gone flat, now, the expression on his face completely blank. "I suppose, if I can’t reason with you right now, than I’ll simply have to take you back to Lord Darkon by force." A teknocrystal, red as all Radam Teknoman had, appeared as Spear drew his hand out of his right pocket.

"I would _love_ to see you _try_ ," Saber snarled, his own glittering, cracked, sky-blue teknocrystal appearing in his hand as his younger twin prepared to charge into battle again.

Slade hated himself for a moment, knowing that he would have to leave his younger twin all alone to fight the latest of Darkon’s servants, while he waited for Pegas to arrive. Saber was strong, though, so he hoped that he would be all right. He couldn’t exactly voice-activate Pegas from this far away, but when he transformed, he had always felt an echo from his own crystal; every time.

He would just have to hope that Pegas’ close connection with his teknocrystal would be enough to help; Slade didn’t know what he would do, otherwise. "Come, Pegas!"

1100101001

"Tekno-power!"

It was a bit strange, hearing his voice overlapping with someone who wasn’t Slade but as the armor of his Teknoman form appeared and hardened around him, forming a nigh-impenetrable shell, Saber put all of that aside. He didn’t know just how Slade was going to manage to get into this fight, what with Pegas all the way back at the Command Center and with no real way to get it here without probably getting whoever was transporting it killed by way of Spear and his homicidal tendencies, but he knew that his brother was looking for a way nonetheless.

"Why are you wasting your time on this minor little mudball, when you could join _us_ as the lords of the cosmos?" Spear demanded, even as their respective teknolances slammed into each other and deadlocked.

"This ‘minor little mudball’ just so happens to be the property of the human race," he said, straining a bit against the larger Teknoman’s superior weight and leverage. "And we’re not about to let _you_ or anyone else take it away from us."

Shoving back with all of his enhanced strength, Saber almost overbalanced and face-planted into the ground when Spear drew back suddenly.

"Ah, Cain, you _were_ always a bit too stubborn for your own good."

"Shut up, _Spear_ ," he snarled; he was only glad that Slade didn’t have to deal with this right now, it always seemed to affect him more.

"Really, Cain; name-calling? You’re so childish sometimes," Spear chided, having landed atop a broken-down, abandoned four-story building just back from where the two of them had started fighting.

"I do _not_ have to take this from Darkon’s _lapdog_ ," he drawled; it had often been said that he could irritate just about anyone if he put his mind to it, now it was time to put that to the test.

"I know what you’re trying to do, little brother," Spear said calmly, his oversized harpoon of a teknolance held diagonally in his hands, the point aimed up at the sky. "It’s not going to work."

"This, folks, is what we call overconfidence," he drawled, flipping his left hand palm-up as if he was gesturing to a large crowd.

"Cain, really, we’ve known each other for all of your life, and most of mine," Spear said, sounding like Conrad did when he was particularly annoyed with something. "Do you honestly think any of your little tricks will work on _me_? I do know _your_ weak point, however."

He didn’t have time to ask just what the hell Spear meant by _that_ ; hell, he barely had time to react when Spear drew back his teknolance and threw it. He was almost ready to start taunting the evil Teknoman about his completely piss-poor aim, when he realized just what it was that said evil Teknoman had probably been aiming at in the first place… _Slade!_

Turning on his heel fast enough to rip a hole in the concrete underneath him, Saber ran full-out for the place where he could now see Slade standing, scanning the skies in what looked like a mixture of hope and fear. He didn’t take even a moment to wonder what his older twin was looking for, but quickly raised his teknolance and slammed it into the spinning form of Spear’s. Slade, his attention obviously having been drawn by the loud ‘clang’ of the two lancers crashing into each other, turned to look at him as Saber himself planted his feet and skidded to a stop.

"Saber-!"

Screaming, his own and not Slade’s, drowned out the rest of his older twin’s sentence. Saber felt like someone had driven a burning spike through his right shoulder, then his right hand went slack, dropping his teknolance as he fell to his knees. Summoning the last of his temporarily-spent strength, Saber looked his older twin dead in the eyes.

" _Run_ , you idiot!"

"You see, Cain?" Saber bit back another scream as Spear _twisted_ the blade in his shoulder; he managed to cut it down to a low moan. "You’re so pathetically predictable."

"You’ll have to forgive me for not being at my best," he snarled with violent sarcasm.

"I’ll forgive you, Cain," Spear said, and the sadistic Teknoman actually reached out to cup his cheek with his armored right hand! "Just as soon as you come home with me."

Dipping his fingers into the blood welling up in his perforated right shoulder, while Spear was still distracted with waiting on his response, Saber lunged forward and smeared it across the evil Teknoman’s visor as he shoved them apart to give himself more room to maneuver. Spear stumbled backward, blinded by Saber’s own blood, and Saber himself took a moment to catch the breath that he’d had knocked out of him. That had been one of his more insane stunts, but since it had worked he wasn’t going to complain about it.

Sinking to his knees, all the while making sure to keep a sharp eye on Spear so that the evil Teknoman wouldn’t be able to attack him while he was facing a completely different direction, Saber breathed slowly and deeply. He could feel his right shoulder already starting to heal up, the flesh knitting itself back together under the perforated armor, but as Spear angrily wiped away the blood smeared across his visor, the red lights of his eyes narrowing furiously, Saber got the feeling that however he was managing to heal himself, it wasn’t going to last for long once Spear got to him.

He barely got his feet under him again before Spear slammed into him, forcing him down _through_ the concrete of their battleground, and dropping him down into the old, abandoned subway tunnel that he hadn’t even expected to be there in the first place. Panting, he began to feel the familiar disorientation and weariness that meant that his time in his Teknoman form had just about run out. _Talk about bad timing,_ Saber groused, firming up his mental walls a bit; no sense worrying Slade more than he probably already was.

_ [Saber! Hold on for a bit longer, brother; I’ll be right there.] _

_ [I’m glad you managed to get Pegas to come this far out,] _ he said, relieved, but also wanting to subtly remind a certain someone of just how bad of an ass-kicking he would be in for if he was being a self-sacrificing dumbass again.

_ [Yeah; me, too. Just hold on for a bit longer,] _ Slade said, and he could sense that his brother was closing in on their position; he could also sense that his brother _had_ managed to transform, so that was a load off of his mind.

Staggering a bit as he got back to his feet, then bracing himself with his teknolance when a wave of tiredness nearly brought him to his knees again, Saber faced Spear.

"Little brother, you’re not looking well at all." Damn him, he actually sounded _concerned_! "Why don’t you just rest now? I’ll take you back with me."

"Drop. Dead," he hissed, in between the deep breaths of air that felt like they were the only things keeping him on his feet. Then, as he felt a sudden rush of energy leaving his body and saw a wash of bright turquoise light, Saber gritted his teeth in helpless fury. _No! Not this! Not_ now _!_

The energy of his transformation and the teknolance that he’d had in his hand, in short the only things still keeping him on his feet, were gone now; as he toppled forward, feeling something grabbing the back of his Space Knight vest, Saber hoped that Slade would have a better time of things than he had.

11101011111

Saber’s mental signal had gotten weaker, it hadn’t cut out entirely so he knew that nothing _too_ drastic could have happened, but knowing that his younger twin was unconscious in close proximity to one of Darkon’s Teknomen was enough to give him chills. Following the mental link that would lead him to Saber, Slade leaped down into the hole leading into the subway. Spear was there, standing with his back to the impromptu entrance, and for a moment Slade was overcome with fury.

He’d been forced to watch as this sadist had attacked his younger twin, helpless to do anything but listen to Saber’s screams as Spear had shoved a foot-long spike through his _shoulder_. Saber’s trick with his blood had been the last thing he’d seen, before he’d ran to meet up with Pegas so that he could transform. Now, though, seeing Spear with his back exposed, Slade narrowed his eyes in fury.

Spear was going to _suffer_ for what he had done. _This is for you, Saber; guide my hand, little brother._ Charging full-out, his teknolance held forward like he was in some kind of renaissance faire joust, Slade aimed for the upper-middle of Spear’s back, meaning to stab through the left thruster and impale one of the evil Teknoman’s lungs.

Spear turned then, Slade’s perception of time slowing to a crawl as he realized that something – some _one_ – particularly important to him was being held in the armored hands of Darkon’s servant. Residual momentum from Spear’s turn rocked his younger twin’s head back on his neck, causing his long, black hair to flutter in a short-lived breeze. Digging his heels and toes into the ground, kicking up crumbling concrete and digging short, deep trenches into the ground where he’d been running, Slade managed to cancel his forward-momentum just as the very tip of his double-ended teknolance touched the point a few inches below Saber’s collarbone.

Shivering briefly, horrified at what he had almost done however inadvertent it was, for a few moments all Slade could see was his teknolance plunging forward those last few, fatal inches; the tip ripping through his younger twin’s throat, perforating his chest cavity, and spilling bright red blood all over his brother’s red vest and white shirt. But that hadn’t happened; he’d stopped in time, and the only red thing that had been disturbed was Saber’s vest, rumpled where the tip of his teknolance pressed against it. Shaking in horrified relief, Slade quickly gathered his composure and stood back upright.

It didn’t matter what he _hadn’t_ done, now he had to get Saber out of Spear’s hands before anything _else_ could happen to him.

"Little brother, _what_ were you trying to do?"

Slade didn’t dignify that with a response, instead rushing forward to try to sweep Spear’s legs out from under him. Watching as Spear switched Saber’s insensate form from being gripped in both hands to being slung under his left arm, brandishing his retrieved teknolance in his right hand, Slade sighed in relief. At least now he would have a _slightly_ easier time getting Saber away from Spear.

Flinging off the two bladed boomerangs at the leading edge of his teknolance, Slade waited until Spear was distracted by having to duck out of the way, then lunged forward to rip his younger brother out of the evil Teknoman’s grasp. Catching his boomerangs on the end of his teknolance, Slade ran for more open ground. Finding his way onto the long-disused station platform, Slade paused to catch his breath and check on Saber.

His younger twin seemed to be all right, his hair a bit disheveled from the run but nothing else seemed to be wrong with him aside from the usual exhaustion of being forced to transform out of his Teknoman form suddenly. Slade barely had time to breathe a soft sigh of relief, before Spear appeared on the loading platform opposite him.

"Why do the two of you insist on making this so difficult, little brother?" Spear asked, sounding so much like Conrad always had when he was disappointed in them for something. "Do you think I _enjoy_ having to hunt down my own family? My flesh and blood?"

"You’re no family of mine," he snarled. "You tried to kill my brother!"

"Ness, I _am_ your brother, and you and Cain are mine." Spear held his right hand out, his teknolance held loosely in his left. "Come home with me."

" _Shut up_!"

Leaping into the air with the aid of his thrusters, Slade slammed his own teknolance into the ceiling of the subway tunnel and twisted hard, bringing down enough rubble to bury Spear deep enough that Slade felt safe enough to turn his back so he could get more distance. Fighting in confined spaces like this, especially when he had to watch how he moved so that he didn’t endanger Saber, wasn’t something that he was going to try to keep up for longer than he absolutely needed to. Hearing the heavy tread of a Teknoman, and more than that _sensing_ that Spear was coming up behind him, Slade turned to face the evil Teknoman.

"Really now, little brother, did you think that a measly rock pile would be enough to stop _me_? I’m disappointed in you, Ness."

Just as he was about to turn and shout at Spear, a sudden spike of pain in his head and the harsh sound of his helmet’s alarm ringing in his ears let Slade know that his time, like Saber’s had just about run out. Screaming as the hot spike of pain drove itself into his brain, Slade knew that his only chance was to get back to Pegas and reverse his transformation before he lost control.

Shielding Saber’s vulnerable head with his armored arm, Slade burst through the roof of the subway and landed back on the surface of the roadway that he, Saber, and Spear had started their fight. Only it wasn’t _quite_ the same place they had all started, since he couldn’t see Pegas anywhere, and he’d had to punch another hole in the tunnel instead of coming out through the one that had already been made. The pain spiked suddenly, driving Slade to his knees and making him inadvertently lose his grip on Saber as he clutched at his head, screaming in the throes of agony.

Shoving the pain aside, Slade caught his younger brother’s body as it went sprawling across his lap. Gently cradling Saber’s head, gritting his teeth as waves of pain burned into his brain, Slade checked his younger twin for any injuries that might have been caused by his flight from Spear. There were none; nothing was wrong with Saber that wouldn’t be cured by a good rest, which he was getting to at least some degree right now.

"Pegas, come here, quickly," he said, having spotted his partner some distance off.

Clutching at his head as the head as the agony in his brain spiked again, Slade made an effort not to dig the fingers of his opposite hand into Saber’s cheek.

0101000111

Hearing Ness’ screaming, knowing that his dear little brother had only a short time before he lost control of his power and became a mindless berserker, Spear moved forward. He didn’t want to hurt either of his younger brothers, but they were being so stubborn that he knew that any further attempts at persuasion were likely to be met with the sharp ends of Ness’ teknolance. His poor little brothers must have been more confused than he’d thought, if they were still claiming to be part and parcel of the pitiful insects crawling around on this little mudball of theirs.

For a few moments, Spear was reminded of Sam, and his baby brother’s stubborn insistence on maintaining the charade that _he_ was still one of the insects. Since Sam had been brought into Lord Darkon’s fold, Spear was at least reasonably confidant that he would be able to do the same for Ness and Cain.

"Now then, little brother, let’s end this absurd, pointless struggle," he said gently, stabbing the base of his teknolance into the ground and leaving it to stand freely behind him as he made his way over to where Ness knelt with Cain in his arms. "I won’t make you let go of Cain, if that’s what you’re worried about, little brother. Come, I’ll take you both back home with me."

Frowning in mild confusion as a large, humanoid mecha landed in front of Ness, Spear watched as the machine used a pair of small thrusters built into its legs to turn so that its back was facing Ness as he knelt, Cain still in his arms. Unfortunately, that was all he managed to see; a barrage from a laser-cannon or two rained down on him, and Spear looked up to see the spacecraft that his little brothers had been traveling in when he had first met up with them as he was now.

" _Insects_ , how dare they?!" he snarled; he had no desire to get into another fight, and little enough power to spare besides. "I’ll be back soon, little brothers; wait for me."

Firing his thrusters, he ripped his teknolance out of the ground and flew off to meet with the mount that Lord Darkon had bred for him; looking back over his shoulder, he memorized the ship that carried his little brothers. He would deal with them soon enough.

00010010011

The energy rushing out of him nearly knocked Slade to his knees when Pegas’ interlock-chamber released him, but he was just able to stumble past the place where he’d laid Saber down on the ground to rest. Saber was just starting to stir as Slade picked him up, wrapping his arms around his younger brother, his _only_ brother, Slade listened as the Blue Earth landed next to them and Ringo and Star rushed out.

Burying his face in the fabric covering Saber’s left shoulder, Slade squeezed his eyes shut as they began to water. Brother or not, that had felt like ripping his own heart out.

"Take it easy, kids," he heard Ringo say; he turned his head so that his forehead pressed against Saber’s neck, flesh to flesh. "You both all right?"

"You nearly exceeded your time limit, didn’t you, Slade?" Star asked; he didn’t feel the need to answer.

"Just who was that nut in the purple costume? It sounded like the three of you knew each other."

"Who was that guy to you boys?" Star asked, echoing Ringo’s earlier question.

"Family," he muttered, resting his chin on Saber’s shoulder; as much as he didn’t want that to be true, he still knew that it was. Nothing he _or_ Saber could do would ever change that.

"What do you mean _family_?" Star asked, and he saw her looking from him to Saber. "What’s going on here? Slade? Saber?"


	13. Family Feud

Looking down at the twins as they huddled together, seeming to be on the verge of some kind of emotional breakdown, Star wondered what that new Teknoman of Darkon’s had said or done to have such a profound effect on the twins. And Saber in particular, since he always seemed to go out of his way to appear completely composed and unaffected, even during the times she suspected that he wasn’t either of those things.

"C’mon," Ringo said, moving to put his hand on Slade’s back. "Let’s get you kids back to the Blue Earth."

They rose, moving almost listlessly toward the waiting Blue Earth, and Star gave Ringo a look over both of the twins’ backs. He returned it with a solemn nod; whatever they could do to help Slade and Saber recover from... whatever it was that had happened to shake them up so much, they would do it. No matter what it was; neither of the twins was really the type to ask for anything unreasonable, she knew.

Shepherding them back into the Blue Earth, her right hand on Slade’s left shoulder and Ringo’s left on Saber’s right, Star felt her heart swell with compassion for both of them. They had always seemed so strong, like they could handle anything the world in general or the Radam in particular could unleash on them, that to see them both so broken made her feel as if the world had tilted off its axis. As the four of them drew closer to the ship, Slade and Saber each drew closer to the other, and by the time they had made it to the boarding-ramp the twins were leaning heavily on each other in on obvious effort just to keep going.

Part of that seemed to be simple physical exhaustion from having fought for so long, but she could see in the eyes of both twins that the emotional side of things was also weighing them down. She just didn’t know _why_ they would have such an emotional reaction to Darkon’s new Teknoman; they hadn’t had a reaction like this to facing Gunnar, and he’d caused them a lot more trouble than this new Teknoman. But, it was like they had both forgotten about Gunnar entirely.

She didn’t know just what had made them feel this way after only one battle with that new Teknoman, and she didn’t know if she would ever find out, but Star was determined to do whatever she could to make them feel better after what they had just gone through.

Helping them into their respective seats aboard the Blue Earth, Star wasn’t surprised to see Slade turn his chair around entirely, facing Saber, and as the Blue Earth lifted into the sky, Slade wrapped his arms around Saber and buried his face in his younger brother’s chest. Saber wrapped his own arms around Slade, gently leaning his right cheek against the top of his brother’s head.

"Well, time to head back to the Command Center," Ringo said, sounding like he was trying to distance himself from what had just happened and not entirely succeeding.

"Can we not do that?" Saber asked, turning to look back over his shoulder at Ringo; Star caught the haunted look in Saber’s eyes and sighed in sympathy.

"Look," Ringo said. "I know you kids have had a rough time of it lately, but we’ve really got to get back to the Command Center and report this to the Commander. He’s going to want to know what happened to you boys, and you both need your rest; anyone can see that."

"Yeah," Saber said listlessly, seeming to fold in on himself as he held Slade tighter. "Rest; right."

With a last look over at the twins, Slade with his head nearly buried in Saber’s embrace, and Saber himself closed off from the world just like his brother, Star turned her attention back to her navigational duties. She had to get them all back to the Command Center, or the twins would never get their rest. Still, hearing how Saber had sounded at the prospect of returning, she thought that it might be good for the both of them to spend some time in the bio-dome.

It wasn’t entirely like going outside, but the outside world wasn’t a very safe place at the moment.

010010001

When he and the mount that Lord Darkon had bred for him returned to the Space Ring, Spear resumed his human form and entered the teknopod that had been prepared for his use when he had been given the mission to deal with his wayward younger brothers. His clothes were neatly folded, laid just outside the teknopod that was infusing him with energy for the final leg of his return journey to Lord Darkon’s ship. It was a journey that he had been hoping to make with Ness and Cain in tow, but apparently that would have to wait.

He was not going to just give up on his own younger brothers; he simply had to find a way to present his case that his younger brothers would not be able to argue against. Or, failing that, he would simply have to overpower the both of them and bring his younger brothers back to Lord Darkon by force. He _was_ the eldest of them, after all.

It was the duty of an elder brother to look after his younger siblings, and that included bringing them back onto the right path when they strayed every once in awhile. He’d never expected Ness and Cain to actually _fight_ his influence, but then they were still at that rebellious age. He’d just have to handle them differently next time; and to hope that Lord Darkon could be persuaded to be understanding about the matter.

He would have to present his case carefully, Spear knew.

0101001000

When they’d all made it back to the Command Center, with the Wonder Twins looking like the end of a whole month’s worth of bad days, he and Star helped the kids out of their seats and gently guided them into the building. They seemed to have recovered a bit, though the both of them still looked pretty beaten-down. Star was clucking over the both of them like some kind of hyperactive mother-hen, so Ringo figured he’d leave her to it.

It wasn’t like those boys had anyone _else_ to take care of them when they were having especially bad days.

Guiding the boys back to their respective quarters, after they had unwound their limp arms from around the other’s, he took charge of Saber while Star helped Slade to get back to his own room. The kid was leaning on him now, since he didn’t have Slade with him, and when Ringo looked into his eyes, he shuddered. He’d only seen eyes _that_ empty on people who’d lost everything in the world that they had ever cared about, or someone who’d just come out the other end of a war.

Now sure, they _were_ in a war against the Radam and all their creepy Spider-crabs, not to mention those freaky Teknomen that the enemy seemed to love throwing at them, but the battles against the Spider-crabs just seemed to consist of the Wonder Twins going through them like wet tissue paper. Sure, the _Teknomen_ were a lot tougher than any Spider-crab alive, but the only one who’d caused them any real trouble was Gunnar, and Slade had atomized _that_ guy about a month or so ago.

This new guy, whatever his name was, was just one more in a long line of lackeys that that maniac Darkon had sent out, and the Wonder Twins would handle _him_ just like they had handled Gunnar. Still, anyone could see that neither of their boys were in any kind of emotional state to talk about what was going on with them. Of course, since Slade _never_ seemed to be in the right kind of emotional state, Ringo knew that he would have to go to Saber if he ever wanted any kind of answers about what was going on in their heads.

When the two of them finally reached Saber’s quarters, the kid himself seemed to wake up a little. It was a good thing, too; Ringo hadn’t been about to open the door for someone who wasn’t conked out, but he hadn’t been quite sure how he was going to handle the issue of getting Saber to come out of his funk for long enough to get inside his room. It was nice to see that the kid hadn’t _completely_ gone bye-bye on him.

"Try to get some sleep, Saber," he said gently, as the kid made his way over to the bed that he nominally slept in; Ringo didn’t know if he was going to get much actual _sleep_ , not after how he’d been looking, but he could at least plant the idea.

"Yeah," the kid said, falling listlessly on top of his bed, still wearing his full uniform. "Sleep. Right."

His last words were muffled by the pillow he’d buried his face in, but Ringo heard them well enough.

"Good night, kid," he said softly, turning to head for his own room as the door to Saber’s slid closed.

1101001001

He felt like he had fever-chills, like he couldn’t stop shivering; Saber knew why, of course, and he knew that neither he nor Slade would be getting much sleep tonight. Not alone, anyway.

_ [Saber?] _

_ [Your room or mine, brother?] _ he asked, already knowing just what it was that Slade wanted.

_ [I’m not really up to moving much right now, little brother,] _ Slade said, and Saber could tell that Slade was just about to fall asleep from the sheer emotional exhaustion they had gone through earlier in the day.

Levering himself up and out of bed, Saber headed out the door and down the corridor that would lead him to Slade’s room. Using the code that Slade had given him, Saber opened his brother’s door and walked in. Slade was lying face-down on his bed, the same way that Saber himself had been doing not so long ago, and as he heard the door slide closed behind him as he made his way over to Slade’s bed, Saber sighed. They were both dealing with the aftermath of seeing... _him_ again; he’d have to handle it a bit better, though, for Slade’s sake.

Kicking off his boots, he set them down by his brother’s bed, then slipped off his Space Knight vest, folded the thing, and set it down on top of the table by his brother’s bed. When he climbed into bed, Slade scooting back a bit to accommodate him and then wrapping his arms around Saber’s waist as they settled into bed together, Saber breathed deeply. The nightmares would still come, of course, but at least they wouldn’t have to face them alone.

Closing his eyes as Slade buried his face in his chest, his brother shuddering slightly, Saber gently kissed the top of his older twin’s head as he himself began to drift off into a troubled sleep.

10100100001

When his personal stores of energy had been fully replenished, Spear took the clothes that he had appropriated for his own use and put them back on. Then, transforming once again into his armored form, Spear met up with his mount and resumed his interrupted journey toward the moon and Lord Darkon’s vessel on the far side of it. He had soon passed out of sight of the Space Ring, though not without a last look back at the planet it encircled. His dear little brothers were down there, somewhere.

They were still clinging to the illusion that they were mere, weak, ultimately worthless humans. It _was_ , however, somewhat understandable considering their circumstances. Those humans in that spacecraft had obviously done something to his younger brothers; something that made them think they had to stay back on that little mudball hovering so innocuously behind him.

Spear didn’t know just how those humans had managed to turn his own younger brothers against him, as well as forcing them to think they had to abandon their proper places in the cosmos, but he was determined to ensure that they suffered for it; _no one_ would keep his family from him.

The side of the moon that was bathed in both the bright light of the Sun, and the meager light reflected by the planet that was the focus of Lord Darkon’s attention for the moment, filled the whole of Spear’s field of vision as he dropped low to skim just above the surface of the satellite. Following the natural curvature of the moon, dodging and weaving around the larger of the craters that scarred the surface of the satellite, Spear blew silently past the sharp line that divided lunar day from night.

He could sense Lord Darkon’s presence in his mind growing ever stronger as he neared the site of his master’s damaged vessel, but Spear could also feel his body steadily weakening as he drew closer. He would have to rest before making his report, but he thought it best that he informed Lord Darkon that he _had_ something to report before he slept.

_ [Lord Darkon, I’ve returned,] _ he said, still disappointed by his failure to retrieve Ness and Cain, but the feeling was now tempered by the knowledge of what those filthy humans had done to them.

_ [How did your mission go?] _ his Warlord asked. _[I see your brothers have failed to return with you.]_

_ [Yes,] _ he said, feeling a slight pang at the mention of his dear little brothers but quickly suppressing it. _[I understand what happened to them now, however. And you may rest assured that I_ will _handle it.]_

_ [I will leave it to your discretion, then, Spear.] _

_ [Thank you, my Lord,] _ he said, relieved. _[I also have a more relevant matter to report.]_

_ [I trust that you will do so after you have replenished your spent energy,] _ Lord Darkon said, his tone giving nothing away.

Spear smiled nonetheless. _[Thank you for your understanding, my lord. I will be returning to the ship shortly.]_

_ [As you will, Spear.] _

10100100100

His eyes snapped open on darkness, and for a few panicked moments Slade thought that he had been captured by Spear and was even now in Darkon’s hands awaiting death by torture... if he was lucky. Then, as he felt the warmth of his surroundings and heard the reassuring beat of another human heart coming from very close by, Slade relaxed. He knew where he was, now: he was safe at home, in bed with his younger twin, where they could both be safe from the nightmares that had haunted them ever since the Radam had ripped the rest of their family away from them.

Well, safe insofar as neither of them would have to face their nightmares alone.

Leaning his forehead against Saber’s chest again, having moved back when he’d awakened suddenly, Slade squeezed his eyes shut; it really had been better _not_ to know what had happened to Conrad. At least that way they’d been able to believe that he’d died in the latter stages of the transformation process; rejected like their father, just one more reason for them to hate the Radam. Now, though... Slade didn’t know if he would have been able to face Spear alone.

But he _wasn’t_ alone, Saber was there; Saber would always be there, that was their promise. As he curled in closer to his brother, taking comfort from Saber’s simple presence and the warmth of his younger twin’s body, Slade tried to relax again. He was still a bit tired from yesterday.

0010010010

When she’d rung the privacy chime for Saber’s room a full three times and still had no answer, Star turned and made her way toward Slade’s room. She still remembered where she had found Saber yesterday, it was embarrassing enough that Star didn’t think she would forget it anytime soon. Maybe that was a good thing, though; if she remembered it well enough, how annoyed the twins were when she and Ringo had barged in on them while they were sleeping, then there would be much less of a chance that she would repeat the mistake she had made by letting Ringo talk her into breaking into Slade’s room.

Ringo, fortunately, hadn’t been up when she had come out to see if one or both of the twins would be interested in coming out to the bio-dome with her, so she at least thought that she would be able to meet with the twins on their terms.

As she made her way down the corridor that lead to Slade’s room, Star began to hear raised voices coming from that direction. Turning the last corner, Star stopped in her tracks as she saw Ringo go flying out of Slade’s room to slam into the opposite wall. As he stood back up, rubbing his backside where he had impacted with the wall, Ringo had just opened his mouth – likely to yell, judging by the expression on his face – when another, smaller object came sailing out of Slade’s room to impact with shattering force on the wall right next to Ringo’s head.

"Hey!" Ringo shouted, looking from the door to the shattered pieces now scattered on the floor. "You owe me a new camera, Saber!"

"Consider it payment for spying on us again," came Saber’s retort, and as she drew closer to the scene of their confrontation, Star could see him standing just inside Slade’s doorway.

He had his uniform boots on, and the white pants, as well as the white shirt with long, black cuffs; the only thing missing from his ensemble was the red vest that he and Slade always wore, and of course the belt. Star hadn’t thought about what the twins wore to bed, but this made a lot of sense considering the fact that neither of the twins had any form of sleepwear.

When Saber’s eyes landed on her, he smirked slightly. "Deal with him, would you, Star? I’m going back to bed."

"Sure," she said, and saw Saber wink over his shoulder just before the door slid closed to block him from sight.

Turning on her heel, Star grabbed Ringo by his right ear, ignored his protests and indignant rambling, and dragged him back down the corridor to his own quarters. She would meet up with the twins later, if there wasn’t some kind of an emergency that needed dealing with, and then she would talk to them about making an excursion to the bio-dome so the three of them could have some much-needed time off.

And maybe she could find out a bit about why the twins had seemed so unnerved by that new Teknoman that Darkon had sent out.

0001001001

As he settled back into bed, Slade curling back around him in the way that his older twin never did unless he was feeling particularly vulnerable, Saber sighed. He really should have expected Ringo to pull a stunt like that, especially given how funny he’d seemed to find seeing him and Slade sharing a bed. Still, there were things a man needed to be able to do in order to preserve his own sanity; their usual nightmares could be handled with just a bit of time spent together in the mornings, but after seeing Darkon’s newest Teknoman, and hearing just how much the Radam influence had warped his mind... neither of them had been in the mood to test their luck.

Now, though, with Slade beginning to stir more noticeably and his own feeling of actually being _rested_ for the first time in several days, Saber thought it was probably best that they get their day properly started. There was probably going to be another Radam attack today, and knowing Darkon he wouldn’t pass up the chance to sic Spear on them again, so it was really best that they get their fill of both food and quiet-time before they had to go out and face the newest of Darkon’s armored attack dogs.

"Hey," he said, looking down into his older twin’s green eyes as Slade opened them. "You feel like going out for some breakfast?"

"Don’t I always?" Slade asked, looking up at him with a strained sort of good-humor.

"I guess you have a point, there, brother," he said, making an effort to smile; he didn’t know if it came out quite right, since like Slade he wasn’t quite at his personal best right now, but Slade seemed to accept it.

Climbing out of bed, Saber made his way to the bathroom while Slade fixed up his bed. Shucking his clothes and tossing them into the hamper as he stepped through the door into the bathroom that he had used only yesterday; though it felt like a hell of a lot longer, given all the emotional upheavals that he and Slade had been put through between then and now. Climbing into the shower when the water had reached the right temperature for him, hot enough to relax his muscles and let him wash away his tension without being hot enough to scald, Saber washed up, wrung out his hair, and headed over to grab the towel he’d used.

There was only one, and while it felt a bit strange to be using the same towel that his brother used, it also kind of reminded Saber of the times that he and Slade were bathed together, back when they were just little kids.

Heading out of the bathroom, dodging around the bare-chested form of his older twin as Slade made his own way inside, Saber dressed in one of his brother’s spare uniforms and gathered the vest and boots that had been left around the room when he and Slade had settled down to sleep. Setting the boots down by the side of the bed, he went to drop the vest in the hamper and then doubled back to put on his boots. Well, they could have been either his or Slade’s, but given the fact that both sets were identical in every respect he figured that something so trivial wasn’t worth thinking much about.

Slipping the boots on, Saber looked up as Slade came back into the main room, smiling slightly and giving his brother a small wave. Slade returned both gestures, heading over to his closet to pull on one more in the long line of uniforms that he had been to use by the Space Knights. Saber himself would have been more amused by the fact that he was wearing Slade’s clothes if there was even the slightest way of telling one Space Knight uniform from the next.

As things stood, though, he was still a little amused by the idea.

The left Slade’s room together, just like they’d done yesterday, only without Ringo and Star accompanying them to the lounge that neither of them had had any reason to suspect existed before yesterday. In fact, it was kind of debatable whether Ringo would want to hang around with them after the way that he’d smashed the man’s camera. Still, Ringo had been asking for it when he’d come barging in the way he did.

The man should have been grateful that Saber hadn’t decided to pitch that camera at his _head_ ; though he’d been a bit tempted at first.

Heading down to the cafeteria with his older twin by his side, Saber tried to put the events of yesterday behind him. There was really no point in dwelling on them, and if they were going to be able to do... what they would have to do to protect the Space Knights, themselves, and the Earth as a whole, then he at least was going to have to get ahold of himself. Slade would need him to help keep his head on straight; god knew that Slade could never quite manage without him, or maybe he just didn’t want to try.

Either way, he’d need to have his head on straight to deal with things as they were now, not to mention when things started getting worse.

1110101001

making her way into the cafeteria, after she’d finished lashing Ringo up and down for the stupid stunt he’d pulled this morning, Star took a moment to look for the twins. She knew they would likely still be there, since given what their powers demanded of them it was obvious that they needed to eat larger meals than anyone else that she had ever come to know in her time. Knowing that, Star had made some sandwiches for them all to share while she showed them around the bio-dome.

She had a feeling that they would both enjoy what she had to show them; well, she knew that Saber would, anyway. She’d never really gotten to know what Slade liked, outside of the things that made his brother happy. Star often wondered just why Slade still seemed so reluctant to open up to the rest of the Space Knights, since it was clear that there was still a distinct wall, a separation, between the twins and the rest of the Space Knights.

Even _Saber_ seemed to be holding to that, in spite of how easygoing he seemed if you didn’t look too deeply.

Looking out over the cafeteria, Star found that the twins were just leaving, so she slung the bag of sandwiches over her left shoulder and hurried to catch up with them.

"Hey, wait up!" she called, smiling as both of them turned to look back at her.

""What is it, Star?" Saber asked, after he had traded a speaking glance with his brother.

"I just thought that you two might want to have some time off," she said, falling into step with the twins as they continued down the corridor.

"You really think that would work out?" Slade asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Well," she trailed off; Star in fact _didn’t_ know if this latest attempt at relaxation would go over any better than the last one had.

Sure, since they were all going to be inside the Command Center, there wasn’t much of a chance that either of the twins would encounter someone that they seemed to know, or else someone that seemed so familiar as to unnerve them, but there was still a chance that she, Ringo, and the twins would be called out to deal with another attack by the Radam. Star hoped that something like that wouldn’t happen, or that if it did it wouldn’t be as bad as whatever had happened yesterday, but you could never really know what would happen in the future.

As she and the twins made their way down the corridors, Star told them about the bio-dome and the plans that she had tentatively made to show them around it. She didn’t mention her thoughts about the activity helping them to get over whatever it was that they had had to face yesterday that had shaken them up so badly. Star didn’t want to remind them of bad things when she was trying to help them feel better; she just hoped that the Radam wouldn’t attack so early in the morning.

1110101110

_ Shinji, my name is Shinji Mabashi. _ Well, if you really wanted to get technical about things, then you’d say his name as Mabashi Shinji, but the principle still stood. He knew who he was, and he definitely knew who he _wasn’t_ ; he wasn’t Teknoman Lance, and he would have _nothing_ to do with the Radam for as long as he could hold his own mind together. Shinji didn’t really know just how long he would be able to hold out, and he didn’t know if any of the others were in the same position.

Hell, he didn’t even know if any of the others were even _alive_ at this point; he hoped not, though.

There’d been an old joke that Ness and Cain used to tell about his last name, something involving an old cartoon that they had all liked to watch, but he couldn’t remember what it was anymore. That frustrated him; sure, it was just some silly little word game that he and his friends used to play when they all got together, but it was still _theirs_. It had been something that he remembered enjoying back when they had all been together on Earth.

Back before he’d gone to sleep in a steel chamber, then awakened screaming inside an alien plant.

00001010001

As Grant Goddard tried to hold the dissolving links between his memories together, not wanting anything that was his to fall into the abyss of oblivion that was waiting to claim him like it had claimed Sam, Conrad, and Fritz before them, Grant wondered for a moment how the others were doing. None of them had his full training in mental discipline, so he didn’t know if any of the others – the ones who _hadn’t_ been his students – had managed to hold their own minds together for as long as he had.

He still took comfort in the fact that the twins had escaped all of this, that they had been set loose by his old friend Ulysses and were even now working to frustrate Darkon’s plans to add the Earth, all of the remaining people living on her, and their remaining natural resources to the Radam’s interplanetary empire. He held to that knowledge, and the pure satisfaction of having it, and used both feelings to bolster his will to resist.

He _was_ going to hold out, to hold onto his humanity and his memories, for as long as he possibly could; he was _not_ going to give these monsters another enslaved super-soldier. Not until or unless he was forced to. He would hold to that promise, even when all other things were being taken from him.

1110101001

Rising from his teknopod, his energy fully restored and wearing the armor that had been granted to him by the transformation process, Spear moved through the dark, solitary space of Darkon’s vessel toward the place where he had met up with the Warlord before. On his way there, Spear passed those members of the Argos’ crew who had been fortunate enough to survive the transformation process. He could see their armored forms through the thin-seeming, transparent skins of the teknopods, but he was moving too quickly to be able to have a chance to identify them.

Perhaps he would come back later, to see if he could hazard a guess as to who they might have been; for the moment, however, he had a report to make.

_ [I see you have managed to recompose yourself,] _ Lord Darkon said, and he was again aware of the ancient weight of his Warlord’s mind pressing down on his own. _[Very well; give me your report, Spear.]_

_ [Yes, my Lord,] _ he said, bowing his head slightly as an image of Ness, clutching at his head with his right hand with Cain’s limp, unconscious form dangling from his curled left arm seemed to appear before his eyes. _[I have uncovered Slade’s weakness, as well as that of Saber.]_

_ [Then put that knowledge to good use,] _ Lord Darkon said sternly. _[Destroy them, neutralize them; do what you must. But I want those renegade Teknomen standing in my way no longer.]_

_ [As you command, master,] _ he said calmly; Lord Darkon had not ordered him to _kill_ his younger brothers, but even he could agree that Ness and Cain needed to be stopped. Poor, misguided things; he didn’t know _what_ those humans in that spacecraft had done to them, but Spear was determined to correct it.

_ [You must also locate a new source of energy, to replace those generators destroyed by the humans. Accomplish these tasks, and you shall be rewarded. Fail, and my wrath shall be great.] _

_ [Yes, master; I understand. There is an old saying from Earth: I’ll kill two birds with one stone.] _ He fully understood the necessity of what he was about to do, what he _had to_ do; it was necessary that he secure a new power-source, to prevent the needless deaths of more Spider-crabs, and it was necessary to remove his younger brothers as an obstacle, so they wouldn’t be killed in the ensuing battles. _Still,_ he thought, reaching out to cup the image’s armored cheek, that didn’t mean that he was particularly pleased about the idea.

He knew what he had to do, he had seen the Spider-crabs on the Space Ring dying out from the lack of energy that they needed to be able to metemorphosize into their adult phase, and he wasn’t about to let anything like that happen to any of his fellow Teknomen. Intellectually, he knew that such a thing was unlikely in the extreme, since even damaged as it was the engines of Lord Darkon’s vessel were still capable of generating power. He hadn’t been about to suggest something so absurd as drawing power from Lord Darkon’s vessel to supply the Spider-crabs on the Space Ring, of course.

It was completely impractical, to say nothing of the fact that the engines were needed to supply power to the Teknosystem.

No, he would need another power-source to replace the one destroyed by the humans’ forces. Finding it somewhere on Earth would also be sure to draw out Ness and Cain; misguided as they were, his younger brothers were certain to come out from wherever it was that those humans in the spacecraft were holding them, if only to satisfy their human captors. He would have to be prepared to fight them, as much as he didn’t particularly want to, and the plan that he was formulating would be the best way to draw them out.

Still, he would need to return to the Space Ring, so that he wouldn’t need to use up so much of his own energy moving back and forth between Lord Darkon’s vessel, the Space Ring, and the Earth itself. Best to start now, then, before he could be distracted by something else. Leaving the chamber where he had made his report, bypassing the teknopods that contained his fellow Teknomen quickly so as not to be distracted by his own curiousity, Spear made his way back out to the far forward-section of the vessel so that he could launch.

The mount that Lord Darkon had bred for him followed along docilely as Spear made his way out of the main area of the vessel, Spear absent-mindedly patted the creature as he continued on his way out. He had plans to detail and finalize, before he could bring his younger brothers back into Lord Darkon’s fold. First, he needed to cut their ties to those humans and whoever else it was that was holding them captive; it would be a hard thing for all of them to bear, but this new plan of his would make that possible.

11010100111

Waking up with Saber, since the nightmares that had driven them to this in the first place were only slightly less prevalent than they had been yesterday, Slade turned his head so that his right cheek rested against his brother’s chest and tried to relax. He, Saber, and Star had spent most of yesterday and the day before it in the indoor gardens that the Space Knights maintained. He hadn’t been particularly interested in them, since they’d just seemed to be a place where the Space Knights grew the food they ate, until he and Saber had been shown the other side of the dome.

The side that hadn’t been used for growing food plants; the side that had looked more like some kind of garden for people here to just enjoy during the times that they weren’t being buried under an avalanche of Spider-crabs. That _had_ been interesting, but only because of certain things that he’d been able to see growing there. Things that had reminded them both of happier times.

He didn’t know if he actually wanted to go back, now that he knew what was planted there he also knew that he and Saber would have a hard time staying away from that place. They’d taken something of a momento with them when it was time for them to leave, something to remind them of happier times back at home. Times that they would never have again.

Someone rung the chime on the door just as he was thinking about trying to fall back to sleep; he thought it was probably Star, since she seemed to be the one most interested in them even in spite of the fact that there was no pressing need for the three of them to stay together, with the Radam being so quiet lately. Star actually seemed to be making an effort to get to know them, which was something that no one else but Tina seemed to be interested in doing. Slade didn’t know quite how he felt about that, not really, since he was still getting used to having all of these people around.

People who actually wanted _them_ around. At least, most of them seemed to. Commander Jamison was still as unreadable as ever.

_ [You want to get that?] _ Saber asked, and Slade looked up into his brother’s still sleep-fogged blue eyes.

_ [Yeah; it’s probably Star again,] _ he said, levering himself up and pulling back the covers so he could tuck them back around his younger twin. _[I’ll go see what she wants.]_

Leaving his younger twin to his rest, Slade shoved his feet into his boots and strode over to the door. Opening it, he saw that it _was_ Star, just like he’d thought.

"I brought you a vase for your flowers," Star said, holding out a pale violet vase that tapered from a wide base to a slightly narrower tip.

"Thanks," he said, as she handed over the vase.

He wondered for a moment where she had gotten it, but not enough to call her back when she wished him a good day and then left. Turning around as the door slid closed behind him, Slade headed over to the table by his bed. On top of the table was a jar, filled to about an inch below the rim with water and holding the two amaryllis flowers that he had picked, as well as the clipping from the lilac bush that Saber had managed to find.

The amaryllis flowers were for Shara, she had loved them since she was just a kid, and seeing them had always made Slade feel closer to her. The lilacs were for Saber and Shara both; Shara had found the idea of such tiny flowers adorable and funny, and both she and Saber had come to love the scent of them. Especially once she had realized that the amaryllis didn’t have any scent at all.

Taking the flowers out of the jar, Slade poured the water into the vase and set the flowers in that.

"It looks good," Saber said, and Slade turned to smile at his younger twin.

"Yeah, it does," he said, looking back at the new vase; it really did look good, the white petals of the amaryllis made a nice contrast, and the lilacs added a different shade. Not to mention their scent.

When the chime on his door was rung again, Slade went over to answer it. It was probably Star again, coming to ask him how he liked the vase that she had given him. When the door to his quarters opened, however, Slade was surprised to find _Tina_ of all people standing just outside.

"Star said you were up already, Slade," Tina said, smiling up at him. Then she looked past him, smiling a bit wider. "Hi, Saber!"

"Morning, Tina," Slade heard his brother call back, then he felt his younger twin’s hand on his right shoulder. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have in awhile," she said, smiling. "It’s been nice, having so much time off. I think it might be fun to go into the city, if all this peace and quiet holds out for a bit longer." Tina grinned, looking up at him with a distinctly mischievous expression. "And don’t think you’re going to weasel out of going with us _this_ time, Slade. Star and I will drag you out of here kicking and screaming if we have to."

Saber laughed. "I think you might be in for some interesting times, brother."

Slade sighed, shaking his head. "You’re both crazy."

"Hey, why don’t you come out of this stuffy old room, and we can go do something together? Star told me that you guys seem to like spending time in the bio-domes," Tina said. "So, let’s go back there."

"Actually, Saber and I were just about to head to the cafeteria, then to gym for some sparring, and maybe a workout," he said; sure, it had been an interesting diversion, seeing a place that he hadn’t had a reason to believe had ever existed before, but the break in his and Saber’s routine had been just that, a _break_.

Besides, this peace and quiet couldn’t last forever; Darkon and his forces were still out there, and he and his brother needed to be in top form to stand against them.

"Oh, you guys can do that _later_ ," Tina said, pursing her lips in annoyance.

Before he could say anything else, Tina pushed past him and headed into his room. For a few moments, Slade was too surprised to do anything but watch as the youngest of the Space Knights came into his quarters and looked around. He didn’t know what it was that she was looking for, and Saber was clearly having too much fun with the whole thing to be of any use at all, and thus Slade found himself just standing there staring for the few moments it took Tina to get over to the table where the flowers that they had picked were standing in the vase that Star had brought for them.

"These look really nice in here," Tina said, looking down at the vase with an unreadable expression.

"Yeah," Saber said, striding over to the table to stand next to her. "Star gave us the vase; we originally had the flowers in a jar."

"I see," Tina nodded. "I didn’t know either of you liked flowers so much."

Then, without another word, Tina snatched up the vase and turned to leave the room. Still stunned by the way Tina had barged in, not to mention what the young Space Knight had just _done_ , Slade reacted a bit too late to stop her.

"Tina!" Saber exclaimed, sounding like he’d been caught somewhere between amusement and annoyance and couldn’t quite decide which side to fall on just yet. "Get back here!"

Tina laughed. "You’re just going to have to catch me, Saber!"

"I swear, Tina, if you break that vase I won’t just tell Star whose fault it was, I will never speak to you again!" Saber shouted, dashing out of the room after Tina.

Following the echo of his younger twin’s voice, Slade jogged down the corridor to meet up with his brother again. Catching up with Saber as his brother was just about to turn a corner, Slade ran with him. Tina’s lead was shrinking fast, both since he and Saber had longer legs than her, and because of what they had been made into by the Radam.

Though Slade tried not to think about _that_ so much.

When he and Saber were almost on top of her, Tina turned around and shoved the vase into his arms. Quickly re-balancing himself so he wouldn’t either drop the vase or end up spilling the water still inside it, Slade blinked, feeling more than a bit stunned by this sudden turn of events.

"Very funny, Tina," he heard Saber say, just as he noticed what was missing, himself. "Now give back the flowers, too."

"You’re just going to have to catch me!" laughing, Tina stuck her tongue out at them and ran off down the corridor again.

"Is this starting to remind you of something, brother, or is that just me?" Saber asked, turning an expression of wistful amusement on him.

Slade smiled slightly. "Come to think of it, it does."

This was something like Shara would have done, whenever she’d wanted them to pay more attention to her; it seemed like Tina was just the same.

Saber took off, running down the corridor after her just slightly faster than the average human with their kind of physical conditioning would have been capable of. Slade, knowing that he had to move more carefully if he didn’t want to end up spilling the water, or breaking the vase that Star had given them himself, followed his younger twin at a much more sedate pace. He could still hear Tina and Saber, even after the two of them had passed out of his line of sight down yet another corner.

He was starting to recognize the place they were all heading, and for a moment he wondered just what was going on in Tina’s head; they’d both find out soon enough, though, so he wasn’t going to think about it too much.

11101001010

When she made it into Comm. One, with Saber dogging her heels like some kind of bloodhound, Tina couldn’t help but laugh. She hadn’t quite known just how she was going to get Slade and Saber to come out and rejoin the rest of the Space Knights, instead of sitting around moping in Slade’s quarters or trying to hide in the bio-domes, but when she had seen the flowers that both of them had seemed to like so much, the idea had just come to her. Saber had seemed to be enjoying the chase, at least.

Scampering over to the front of the room, just as she heard the doors sliding open behind her, Tina clasped the flowers in both hands and turned to watch as Saber made his way into the room. Saber wasn’t running anymore, and since she’d pretty much let him corner her, she smiled as he came forward. Now he’d smile in that way he always did, and she’d hand him the flowers and tell him to try to keep Slade from getting too depressed and shutting himself up in his quarters again.

When Tina saw his face up close, the expression he was wearing as his eyes came to rest on her, she wasn’t really sure what to make of it. Saber _was_ smiling, but the smile itself was small; nothing like the wide grins or sly smirks she’d usually seen on his face, in fact the expression itself was almost... sad, in a way. And the look in his eyes, it was like he wasn’t seeing _her_ at all, not really; like Saber was lost in his own memories somehow.

Though how in the world someone could be lost in memories they didn’t even _have_ was a question that she would probably be thinking about later, but that was what it looked like.

When Saber came up to her, that same strange, almost sad smile on his face as he turned one of the chairs around and sort of slumped down into it, Tina offered him the flowers. But, if anything, that only made the smile on his face look sadder. When he reached out, stroking her head with his right hand, Tina looked right into his eyes. She knew then that it wouldn’t do any good to talk to him; he didn’t even seem to be looking _at_ her so much as he was looking _past_ her, into some place that she couldn’t see or even make any real guess at.

When she noticed Slade coming up to where she was standing, Tina was just about to ask him what might be wrong with Saber when she noticed the expression on Slade’s face. It was almost the same as Saber’s. He wasn’t smiling, but then Slade _never_ seemed to smile for anyone but Saber. They were both staring at her now, but it was clear that neither of them were seeing _her_ at all. Slade and Saber were looking at someone else entirely.

When Slade put the vase carefully down on the inter-base communication console, moving slowly so that none of the water would end up spilling out, Tina waited until Slade had finished getting Star’s vase settled, and then she put the flowers that she had snatched away from them back inside. Saber seemed to come back to himself then, if the way he’d stopped mussing her hair was any indication. In fact, when she looked from Saber to Slade and then back again, Tina found that the both of them seemed to be looking at _her_ now instead of whoever it was that had seemed to make them so... sad and kind of happy at once.

"So, Amaryllis and Lilac flowers," she said, leaning back against the console and letting her eyes come to rest on Slade; he seemed to be the one most likely to want to talk at the moment, especially given the way Saber’s eyes were still lingering on the flowers themselves. "Why are they so special to you?"

"I don’t really know," Slade said, looking at the flowers for a long moment, before he turned his attention to her. "It’s like, the Amaryllis is important to us, but I don’t really know why."

"The Lilac smells nice, though," Saber said, drawing Tina’s attention to him "I think that might be why we were drawn to it. Or why _I_ was, at least. I don’t know if Amaryllis flowers even _have_ a scent."

"Maybe you gave them to an old girlfriend," Tina said. "Well, _you_ probably didn’t, Slade," she amended, considering who she was talking about; Slade wasn’t really the type to get close to people; well, people who weren’t Saber, anyway. "But, Saber probably had _lots_ of girlfriends," she said, winking at Slade’s brother.

Saber laughed. "Yeah. Maybe," he grinned.

"Don’t get too full of yourself, little brother," Slade said, the slightest little smile on his face; almost like he was actually _teasing_.

It was such a weird thing for her to see that Tina didn’t notice that Star and Ringo had come in sometime earlier and were even then having a conversation of their own.

1111010100

"All quiet on the western, eastern, northern, _and_ southern fronts," Star reported. "It’s been days now since the perimeter observation-post has reported any sign of Radam activity. It’s so peaceful, not a single ‘pinger’ anywhere on the screen."

"It’s _peaceful_ , all right," he agreed, leaning over Star’s left shoulder to get a better look at the radar screen. "So peaceful it’s _boring_ , if you ask me." Turning, he moved away from the entirely-too-empty radar screen.

"Speak for yourself, Ringo," Star said, and he could swear she was chiding him. " _You_ may prefer a Spider-crab attack, but me, I’ll take boring any day, thank you very much."

"At least if they were attacking, we’d know what they were up to," he said, trying to get Star to understand; it wasn’t that he minded all the R&R he was getting, he just didn’t want to get complacent. Getting complacent was pretty much bound to get people killed nowadays. "It won’t last; take it from me, those crab-legged creepazoids are up to _something_. And, the only ones who might know what it is aren’t saying anything." He made sure not to look over his shoulder when he said that, though he was fairly sure that he could feel one of the Wonder Twins’ glares boring into his back; he’d give fairly good odds that it was Saber, too. "It’s nuts," he continued, opening his eyes slightly; Saber _was_ glaring at him, so he won _that_ bet. "Just how long are we supposed to keep working in the dark? It’s not like I don’t understand scientific explanations for someone having amnesia, but I’m starting to think that _certain people_ might know some things that they just don’t want to tell us about."

"Hey, Ringo, if you don’t want another boot to the head, I’d suggest you shut up," Saber said, and out of the corner of his right eye he could see Slade’s younger brother turning his chair around to face him more squarely.

"Really, Ringo, you’re too much," Tina snapped. "I can’t believe you’d say that. Slade and Saber are both doing everything they can to recover their memories. And we should be helping them, not trying to-"

"Hey, I’m all for helping those kids get their memories back, but if you ask me, _they’re_ the ones who aren’t doing anything to help."

"Stop talking like that!" Tina shouted. "Stop talking about them like they’re not even in the room!"

Of course, as decried by the Gods of Irony, the next thing the Wonder Twins did was to haul themselves up and out of their swivel-chairs and march right out of the comm. room; Saber didn’t even shoot him any dirty looks over his shoulder, though why that was he didn’t quite know. Tina tried to call them back, but not even Saber turned to look back at her.

"Honestly, Ringo, you can be such a jerk, sometimes," Star said, her eyes still lingering on the door that the Wonder Twins had just left through. "As if they didn’t have _enough_ problems without your riding them all the time."

"Okay," he said, not wanting to concede the argument but not particularly wanting to get into a fight about it, either. "I was a bad boy; I’m sorry. But now that they’re not in the room, can’t we at least talk about them like they’re not in the room?"

"Put a cork in it, Ringo," Star said, sounding fed up.

"Those poor guys," Tina exclaimed, running off after the Wonder Twins the way he’d been starting to suspect that she would. "I’m going to make sure they’re okay!"

Left alone in Comm. One with only Star to keep him company, though he doubted that she would be particularly enthusiastic about talking to him for awhile, Ringo rolled his eyes. Sure, he might have been a bit to-the-point with what he’d had to say, but it wasn’t as if he’d said anything _too_ out of line. Besides, anyone could see that the Wonder Twins didn’t act like your typical amnesiacs.

1110101001

Saber had looped his arm around Slade’s own as they walked, and for once Slade found that he didn’t care what anyone who saw thought of them. He was actually starting to feel that he and Saber had a place, here with the Space Knights; of course, there were still issues. Mostly involving Ringo, and his constant demands for information that neither he nor Saber actually had.

He’d wanted to yell at the man, to tell him that he hadn’t the slightest idea of what the Radam were planning, and that all of this peace and quiet was making _him_ just as nervous as any of them. He wouldn’t, though; Slade knew that if he ever got into an argument with Ringo, given the way the man still seemed bound and determined to antagonize him and Saber both, then things were bound to become uncomfortably complicated. The man was like a bulldog; he wouldn’t let up on something until he found out everything he wanted to know.

And, there were just some things that couldn’t be talked about with outsiders; and, no matter what kind of place that he and Saber had found here with the Space Knights, these people weren’t family.

The scent of hot coffee wafting up toward him broke Slade out of his musings, and he looked to his right to see Saber just settling back down next to him.

"I figured we could both use something hot to drink," his brother said, before Slade could ask or even say anything.

"Thanks," he muttered, wrapping his hands around the cup, both to absorb the heat and so that he could tell when it was cool enough for him to drink without burning his tongue. "What did _you_ get?"

"Guess," Saber said, smirking slightly.

"Chai?"

Saber chuckled. "Close."

That meant that it was probably hot chocolate; his brother _had_ always had something of a sweet-tooth, and this was just the kind of chance to indulge himself that he would take. It was nice to know that, while they weren’t quite the people that they had started out as, his brother hadn’t really changed all that much. It was nice to have _something_ he could depend on.

As the chatter in the lounge washed over him, Slade tried his best not to listen in on any particular one; it was kind of hard, what with the enhanced senses that had been forced on him by the Radam, but Slade didn’t want to eavesdrop. He heard a pair of women, chatting amiably to one another, passing by on his left-hand side, and he tried to ignore what they were talking about. It didn’t really involve him, and he wasn’t going to start eavesdropping on people.

But, when he started hearing the sounds of someone calling for their father, a little kid; a boy, just the same kind of boy that he and Saber had both been. A long time ago...

He could remember the fields of Amaryllis flowers that Shara had loved so much; he saw them in his mind’s eye, even as his gaze settled on the man and his small family. He could see things the way that they had once been...

_ Cain was there, laughing as Shara showed him the Amaryllis flowers that she had picked; he could see himself, as if he was standing outside of his own body, as Ness Carter laughed with the two siblings he’d once had. He wanted to shout to the boy he’d once been, to yell at him to enjoy these times while he could; to warn him that everything he had ever known would be gone in an instant, and he would have to hold tight to the few things that had been saved. _

_ He couldn’t, however; these were just memories of days gone by, and he had no voice in any of them. _

_ He watched, heartsick with the knowledge of what his eldest brother had become, as Conrad crouched, folded his arms on top of his knees and spoke to his younger siblings. Grinning, Conrad reached out to muss Shara’s hair; Ness and Cain stood next to her, laughing as she did under the comforting touch of their older brother’s hand. Slade, watching all of this from the sidelines, wanted to close his eyes; to look away from what he knew was going to happen, what he knew had  _ already _happened._

_ Conrad rose back to his feet, dark purple armor surrounding and encasing him, and by the time he stood back up, it wasn’t Conrad anymore; Teknoman Spear had taken his place. Spear towered over them all, a terrifying apparition, powerful and deadly; Darkon’s attack dog. Cain ran, ran  _ at _the Teknoman; the same armor that had encased Spear covering his younger brother from head to feet; Teknoman Saber interposed himself between Slade and the towering form of Spear, his arms spread as if to ward off an attack._

_ This... this was wrong; things weren’t supposed to be this way.  _ He _was the older brother,_ he _was supposed to protect_ Cain _; Cain wasn’t supposed to have to protect_ him _._

_ When he heard someone calling his name, Slade looked over his shoulder, away from the tableaux of Saber facing down Spear, Slade felt his heart just about freeze in his chest. Shara was there, unarmed, clutching at a bunch of Amaryllis flowers. She was defenseless, and even though he  _ knew _that Saber would be at her side in a second if Spear made any kind of aggressive move, he was still terrified to see her like that. Saber might easily die fighting Spear; he called out to her, Slade was sure of it, but..._

"Hey, are you feeling all right?" Tina asked; Slade tried to calm his pounding heart.

"Yeah; you just startled me, that’s all."

"So I noticed," she said, crouching down to pick up the cup that he hadn’t even noticed he’d dropped. "Who’s ‘Shara’?" the small family left the lounge; Slade watched them go, trying not to wish for things that couldn’t happen. "You said Shara, just now, when you saw me. Who is she? Do I remind you of her?"

"You actually have the same face," Saber said, sweeping his gaze over Tina, his cup of hot chocolate held in his left hand, with his right supporting its base. "But your hair is different. Also, your eyes aren’t the same."

Tina laughed, closing her eyes. "Maybe I was right about you buying flowers for someone. So, was Shara one of your girlfriends, Saber?" she asked, giving his younger twin a sly glance.

"Actually, Shara was our younger sister," Slade said, before Saber could get too into the spirit of things.

"Oh, I didn’t know you two had a sister," Tina said, leaning forward a bit. "And I really look that much like her?"

"Yeah, you do, actually," he said, briefly worrying the inside of his lower lip with his canine teeth.

"Hard to say whether I’m flattered or not, not having met her," Tina said, looking between the two of them; then she seemed to have some kind of revelation. "Wait a minute! This means that pieces of your memories are falling back into place! Are things starting to get clearer for you guys now?"

"Not much, and I’m not sure that I’d want them to," he said; he sometimes he wished he actually _could_ forget, just forget what the Radam had done to them. To him, to Cain, to Conrad, and to everyone else who had been a part of the Argos’ crew.

"What do you mean?" she asked; for a moment he envied Tina her innocence. "Everyone wants to know where they’ve been in their lives, and what they’ve done."

"Maybe Saber and I abandoned those memories for a reason," he said; Slade was grateful for his brother’s hand on his arm, and he moved closer so that he could lean on Saber for a bit more support. "Maybe, it’s a mistake to try going back. A terrible mistake!"

"I can’t believe something like that," Tina said; she seemed about to say something else, but the emergency-alert started going off right then.

"Let’s move out, people." Saber had laced his fingers together with Slade’s own, and as the two of them were forced to separate in order to make their way back to Comm. One, Slade bumped Saber’s shoulder in passing.

He hadn’t believed for a second that this quiet spell they’d been having was going to last; now that it was over, though, Slade didn’t quite know whether he was relived to be right, or angry that he and Saber were being forced onto the front-lines again; Darkon and Spear had to have something in mind for them to be doing this.

When the three of them made it back into the comm. room, he wasn’t surprised to see the others standing there waiting for them; Commander Jamison nodded in acknowledgement as he, Saber, and Tina took their respective places among the gathered Space Knights.

"They’ve concentrated their attack on one target," the Commander informed them, as the main screen displayed scenes of Spider-crabs descending upon a power plant like some horrible parody of carrion birds. "Cooper nuclear fusion plant. They’re not even trying to disguise their objective. The Radam are obviously desperate to secure a new source of energy, since we managed to knock out their primary generators during our last assault."

"Yeah," Ringo said, sounding like he didn’t quite believe what he was seeing. "But how are those things able to collect the energy without zapping themselves to bits?"

"I’ll let Tina explain that," the Commander said calmly.

"The Spider-crabs can actually absorb energy into their bodies," Tina said, turning away from her post at the main comm. console. "Pretty efficiently, too; they’ve already drained the fusion plant of twenty percent of its power."

"So, they suck up the energy, and then carry it back home," Ringo summarized.

"Like bees bringing pollen to the hive," he muttered.

"Isn’t AEM Command doing anything to _stop_ these vampires?"

"Are you _kidding_?" Saber demanded, and out of the corner of his left eye Slade could see his brother turning a frankly incredulous look on Ringo. "Against _that_ many? They’d be lucky not to get slaughtered just trying to cover their own retreat."

"Sir?" Star asked, when the Commander fell silent for a bit too long.

"I want you to secure that power plant," Commander Jamison said, as calmly as he ever did. "Be ready to launch in ten minutes."

He and Saber were out of the room almost before the Commander finished speaking; Saber was a bit faster than him, but the two of them made a point to keep pace with each other, at least when they weren’t having a race. This wasn’t the time for playing, Slade knew, so he and Saber were careful to keep pace with each other on their way to the Blue Earth. He knew that they were going to have to break into the spare rations that had been laid in for them, but it was better that they did something like that rather than trying to make a stop off at the cafeteria before such an important mission.

1101001001

As he watched the Spider-crabs that had been given to him for this mission descend upon the nuclear plant like the swarm of worker bees that they so closely resembled, Spear held his red teknocrystal, key to the power that Lord Darkon had granted him and his misguided younger brothers, with both hands. He _had_ accepted that this subterfuge he was participating in was necessary, both to preserve and increase the amount of Spider-crabs that they needed in order to keep the humans from mounting any kind of organized resistance against them, and to protect the lives of his dear younger brothers. Spear didn’t know if any of the other Teknomen that Lord Darkon had created would be so understanding about the plight of his younger brothers.

Shara and Sam probably would be, but those two were going to have enough on their respective plates just overcoming the obstacles that their comparative youth would present for them without attempting to argue for the sake of those who had abandoned their own cause, as well as their proper place in the universe, family or not. So, that meant that _he_ had to convince Ness and Cain to return to Lord Darkon’s fold with him. And _that_ would entail breaking the both of them free from those humans who had taken them captive.

In light of that, this plan of his was a necessary evil; still, as Spear pressed his thumbs against the sides of his red teknocrystal, clutching the gem that granted him access to his full power, he was forced to concede that necessary evils were still evil in the end.

1110100100

As the Blue Earth flew steadily toward her destination, Slade gripped the armrests of his chair briefly, trying without too much success to calm his jangling nerves. He knew that Spear was there, he could sense the person that had once been their older brother; Saber was so clearly trying not to fidget that for a few moments Slade was reminded of the long car trips that their family had taken. Back when he and Saber had actually _had_ a family.

"You were right, Saber: there’s too many of them for the Military to handle," Star said, as they drew close enough to the power plant to see the full extent of the massive swarm of Spider-crabs attacking it. "All of their units have been either wiped out, or pinned down without any hope of breaking free."

"That’s no surprise, considering the AEM command; _they_ wouldn’t know a foxhole from an open pit-latrine."

"Thanks _so much_ for the mental pictures, Ringo," Saber called over his shoulder, even as the two of them climbed out of their seats and made for the main air lock at top speed; he vaguely heard Saber calling out in acknowledgement when Ringo wished them good luck, but for the most part Slade’s focus was on what he and Saber were about to be doing.

What they _had_ to do.

"Pegas, power on!"

"Tekno-power!"

Leaping into Pegas’ interlock-chamber as the echoes of his younger twin’s shout reverberated in the air behind him, Slade felt the familiar rush of energy as he engaged his own transformation. The rush of energy filled him, and he felt it as Pegas was launched from the Blue Earth; he could also sense Saber nearby, and it was with decidedly mixed feelings that Slade flew into battle this time. Spear was waiting for them, Slade was more than certain of it by now, and the evil Teknoman had already attacked Saber once; Slade didn’t know what he would do if Spear tried to deliberately attack Saber in an effort to get to him. He still remembered Spear doing the reverse, just a few days ago.

Landing on Pegas’ back, Slade looked over his left shoulder as Saber landed just behind him.

"Just another day in the life, eh brother?" Saber drawled, a wry tilt to his head.

"Yeah," Slade said, trying to match his younger twin’s tone but not knowing if he’d managed it. "The usual." Turning his attention to the masses of Spider-crabs that had swarmed the fusion plant that they had been sent to rescue, Slade took a deep breath; it was time to get down to business. "Pegas, take us down!"

"Got a sudden craving for minced crab meat, brother?" Saber laughed.

"You know it!" he called back over his shoulder, shoving his fears, doubts, and worries into a dark closet in his mind and then bolting it shut; they would be fine. _Everything_ would be _fine_.

Spinning his teknolance to deflect several sprays of sticky venom from the small group of Spider-crabs that had broken off from the main force, smiling slightly as Saber made exaggerated gagging noises behind him, Slade cut down the strays even as Pegas shot them down with his blasters.

"Saber, you want to give me a hand, here?" Closing his eyes as he heard the sound of armored hands clapping, Slade cast an annoyed glance back over his left shoulder. "Wiseass."

"You literally asked for it, brother," Saber said, that same, wry tilt to his head that Slade had seen before; he could all but see his brother’s amused smirk.

Without another word, Saber stepped forward, standing next to him, the two of them drew back their respective teknolances and hurled them into the mass of Spider-crabs swarming over the fusion plant. Given what he’d been sensing, and the fact that the feeling had been growing stronger the nearer he got to this place, Slade wasn’t surprised at all when a spinning teknolance slammed into both his and Saber’s. The new teknolance knocked them both off-course, and caused the three teknolances to bury themselves point-down in the sand about ten or so feet from the place where they had originally been aimed.

"Well, look who it is," he heard Saber mutter, and as he cast another glance back over his shoulder, Slade made a silent promise to himself that, no matter what else happened, he would _not_ let Saber suffer like he had last time. "Hey, Spear, nice of you to show up like this!"

"Yeah; I was starting to wonder when _you_ were going to show your face!" he shouted. "I was getting worried!"

"If you thought I was going to miss out on a reunion like _this_ , little brother, you’ve been more misguided than I’d supposed." Spear’s arms were folded over his broad, armored chest, his right pointer finger tapping on his left arm; Conrad’s usual pose when their older brother had been exasperated with them.

"Oh look, we’ve _insulted_ Darkon’s little _errand-boy_ ," Saber sneered, his tone matching anger with fierce sarcasm.

"Cain, don’t be juvenile."

As Pegas swooped down after Spear’s flying-platform / Radam-mount, the three of them yanking their respective weapons out of the sand that they had stuck themselves in, Slade looked over his shoulder. Saber was standing just behind him, his gray-armored hands fisted tightly on the shaft of his teknolance; if he hadn’t known full well that Saber would have told him to shove it, he would have asked his younger twin to break off and let _him_ handle Spear. He didn’t want his younger brother to be hurt, but he knew that Saber would go his own way.

His brother always had.

"I’ll give you one, last chance to come home with me quietly, little brothers," Spear said, his teknolance having been stuck point-down in the sand, close at hand but not quite close enough to be threatening.

"Hmm, let me think about that," Slade heard Saber say, and he turned to look back over his shoulder; Saber had to be planning something devious, there was no way that he would even _consider_ going over to the Radam, but Slade didn’t know just what it was, yet. "Uh, _no_."

The forward-point of Saber’s teknolance, trailing its bright, dangerous ribbon of energy, launched from the space just under Slade’s left arm. Slade, watching as the energy-ribbon lashed out at Spear, knocking the evil Teknoman from his perch atop that strange-looking mount of his, breathed a quiet sigh of mingled relief and apprehension. He’d _known_ that Saber hadn’t been about to go over to the Radam, but Spear wasn’t going to be happy with them now.

"So, that’s your answer, is it, Cain?" Spear growled, rising back to his armored feet.

"That goes for both of us, _Spear_ ," he snarled, moving to the right so that Saber could stand beside him rather than just behind; so that the two of them would be able to bring their lancers to bear on Spear without worrying about the other being in their way.

"I suppose then, little brothers, that I _must_ carry through with this," Spear sighed, shaking his head. "To the bitter end."

Not particularly caring about the mental anguish of Darkon’s pet assassin, Slade directed Pegas forward, charging flat-out at Spear with his lancer aimed forward to stab or slash, and Saber’s right next to it. Before they could come within arm’s reach of Spear, though, a shadow fell over them and Spear’s mount knocked both him and Saber off Pegas’ back.

"Damn; forgot about _that_ little thing," he heard Saber’s annoyed mutter, as he picked himself up from where he’d gone sprawling in the sand after being knocked free of Pegas.

Saber had already gotten back to his feet, using Slade’s own body to help lever himself up since the two of them had landed on each other because they’d been standing so close, and Slade could see his younger twin scanning the skies for any sign of Spear’s mount. Spear, of course, chose that very moment to rush at the two of them. Spear seemed to be focusing most of his attention on him, something Slade was grateful for insofar as it kept the evil Teknoman’s attention off Saber. Even knowing that his younger twin could handle himself in battle didn’t mean that Slade worried about him any less.

Out of the corner of his left eye, Slade saw Saber climb back up onto Pegas and swoop off after Spear’s mount; at least he wouldn’t have to worry about _that_ thing attacking him again, Slade reflected, turning his attention to Spear. The evil Teknoman was standing there, holding his lancer at a shallow angle, seemingly content to just watch. Slade rushed him; he needed to get this over with quickly.

There were still things he needed to do; there were still Spider-crabs to deal with out there.

0001001010

As he and Pegas pursued the freakish-looking flying-platform that Darkon had probably made in mockery of his big brother’s combat partner, Saber began to consider just what it was that he was doing. Sure, he knew that Slade was good in a fight and all, but the both of them had sworn to protect each other, no matter what. _He_ wasn’t going to be the one to break that promise.

"Hey, Pegas, do you think you can handle things here on your own?"

"Affirmative."

"Good," he said, nodding. "I’m going to go help my brother."

"Affirmative. Good luck."

"Thanks," he said, with a soft chuckle.

Opening up his thruster units, Saber found that he didn’t even need to bother looking for Slade; his brother and Spear were fighting in the air, lancers clashing amid the kind of high-speed kicks and punches that seemed to be a staple of battles between one or more Teknomen. Aiming to ram Spear’s left side, knocking the evil Teknoman away from his brother, Saber wasn’t entirely surprised when Spear cut his own thrusters and dropped out of the way.

"Saber, what-"

"Don’t ask stupid questions, big brother," he said, brandishing his own lancer as the both of them swooped down on Spear.

The evil Teknoman dodged back into the air, and as he joined his brother in chasing him down, Saber couldn’t quite help the feeling that he and Slade weren’t so much chasing Spear as they were being lead somewhere. Almost like lambs to the slaughter. Saber would have smacked himself upside the head for having such a stupidly morbid thought, since things like that were pretty much inviting his and Slade’s capricious luck to turn against them again, but he had other things to think about at the moment.

He, Slade, and Spear all slammed into the top of a particularly tall tree, the three of them slashing and hacking their way through the foliage as gravity pulled them all back down to the ground.

"Now, do you know why I chose to bring you to _this_ place, little brothers?"

"You don’t have any right to call us that, _Spear_ ," Slade hissed.

"Stop babbling, anyway," he added, tightening his grip on the shaft of his own lancer. "There’s nothing important _here_."

1010001000

"Don’t play pretend with me, little brothers. Not here."

" _Why_?" he demanded, looking around at the place where they had all ended up. "What’s so important about... this..."

He hadn’t seen it; not when he and Saber were both fighting for their lives against Spear, not when he’d had the sharp end of a teknolance aimed at either his head or Saber’s heart, but now...

"It seems you remember more than you want to admit, Ness," Spear said; Slade breathed heavily, his eyes roving to take in one familiar landmark after another: the lighthouse, the beach, the cliffs that bordered it... and, even though he wasn’t in a position to see it, he could remember the cove that he and his younger siblings had once found.

"Why?" he muttered, _seeing_ this place for the first time since they had all come here; seeing what would never be again. "Why _here_?"

"This place holds so many happy memories for us," Spear said, as he jammed the butt-end of his teknolance into the grass just beside him. "Don’t you want to have those times back, little brothers?"

Spear didn’t... no, he probably _did_ know just how close to home that was hitting; Slade would have given almost anything to have the rest of his family back, to have them all free from the Radam, or even to have not had the Radam come in the first place. If he could have turned back time, somehow managed to convince their father not to explore that ship... He knew, though, that what Spear was offering them wasn’t at all what he _or_ Saber had in mind.

It was just slavery, nothing more.

"Not on Darkon’s terms," he said firmly, gripping his lancer tighter as he brought the point to bear.

"Then, I am truly sorry."

"For _what_?" he heard Saber demand, and Slade moved to stand closer to his brother.

"For this."

Without even a second’s warning, Spear retrieved his teknolance and brought it down in a sharp, sudden slash. Since he and Saber were about three feet beyond the range of Spear’s teknolance, Slade didn’t worry so much about this first attack. He didn’t, that was, until the crackling arcs of electrical energy that had somehow been generated by Spear’s teknolance came crashing down.

Crashing down into _Saber_ ; as his younger twin’s screams filled his ears, Slade froze. He hadn’t even expected that Spear’s teknolance would have been capable of something like _that_.

"Was _that_ the best you can do?" Saber demanded; Slade could hear his younger twin’s heavy breathing, and knew that his brother was just putting up a front. "Here, let me show you how it’s done!"

The tip of Saber’s teknolance lashed out, wrapping around Spear’s teknolance and the hand that held it, Slade breathed a brief sigh of relief, stepping slightly to the right and bringing his own teknolance into line for a charge; one that would end with his lancer slicing through Spear’s armor, or at least forcing him to back away from Saber. When Saber pulled on his teknolance, obviously trying to unbalance Spear, Slade crouched slightly and prepared to spring.

Spear moved faster than the both of them; the armor on his right shoulder dropped down onto his arm, revealing the same long, thin, swordlike blade that he had stabbed Saber with only a few days earlier. Saber screamed as Spear rammed the blade into his left side, just below his arm. Saber’s teknolance fell from his hands, as his younger twin fell to his knees.

"Spear!" Slade raged, running flat-out at the evil Teknoman that had just impaled his younger brother; _their_ younger brother, but Slade was trying not to let himself think about _that_. _[Saber, listen to me: you have to get out of here! Go help Star and Ringo deal with the Spider-crabs. I have to deal with Spear on my own; and don’t argue.]_

_ [What kind of masochist do you  _ take _me for, big brother?]_ Saber retorted, as he shot back to his feet and slammed a hard side-kick into Spear’s face. _[I just took about a foot-and-a-half of extremely sharp metal through the mid-section; only an_ idiot _would want to stay after something like_ that _. Besides, I know how your worry.]_ Saber grabbed his teknolance, opened the covers of his thrusters, and jetted off into the sky in almost a single, smooth motion. _[Make sure you call me if you need me, spaz,]_ Saber said, his teasing tone making Slade smile, just a bit.

_ [I’ll try to remember that,] _ he grinned under his helmet. _[Slacker.]_

"So, you’ve decided to face me alone, Ness?" Spear asked, his armored head turning briefly to watch Saber’s progress before he focused his attention solidly on Slade.

Slade was almost glad for it. "Don’t sound so happy, Spear. You’re _not_ going to win this."

"So you say," Spear retorted flatly.

Slade almost expected him to attack after that, but he turned tail and flew off, with only a single look back over his shoulder, as if beckoning Slade to follow him. Knowing as he did just how dangerous a Radam Teknoman on the loose would be to everyone and anyone in the vicinity, Slade tailed Spear without hesitation. Spear turned on him quickly, hammering Slade with swift, brutal strikes from the bladed end of his teknolance, forcing Slade to block and dodge.

Spear was moving too fast for Slade to try taking back the initiative, so when Spear slammed both feet into the top of Slade’s head, all Slade could do was try not to land _too_ awkwardly. Pulling himself back to his feet, he saw something delicate-looking sticking out from his armored left hand. Holding his hand up, Slade opened it to reveal the detached blossom of a mostly-intact Amaryllis.

"Do you remember more clearly now, Ness?" Spear asked, almost gently. "This was always Shara’s favorite place," a couple steps forward saw Spear sliding down the small, rocky outcropping where he’d previously landed. Crouching for a moment, Spear picked one of the many Amaryllis blooming in this field. "I don’t want to hurt you, believe me, I don’t," the evil Teknoman said softly, once again sticking the sharpened base of his teknolance into the ground as he made his way forward. "I just want you and Cain to come home. Is that so wrong?"

Slade, seething, gritted his teeth. How dare this _monster_ try to talk to him about home! How dare he speak to him and Saber of family, when all he wanted was to drag them screaming back into Darkon’s clutches!

Their own father had died so that he and Saber could be free! Slade wasn’t _about_ to forget his sacrifice.

Roaring his fury as he charged, teknolance held high in preparation for slamming it down on Spear’s armored head, Slade was caught entirely by surprise when Spear brought his _own_ teknolance back to bear. As the arcs of electrical energy generated by Spear’s lancer slammed home, Slade screamed in agony. He had a brief thought for Saber, and what his younger twin had suffered when Spear had attacked _him_ , but that was quickly overwhelmed by the pain that he was feeling.

As Spear continued to torture him, Slade only hoped that Saber would be all right, wherever he was.

00100100111

Landing back on top of the Blue Earth, Saber breathed deeply to regain his bearings. He’d been dealing with Spider-crab swarms taking pot-shots at the ship he was on for longer than he really liked to think about, and definitely longer than he could keep track of without a watch. There were several hundred marauding Spider-crabs, however, and just one of him, so he wasn’t making much of a dent in their numbers. He couldn’t even use his Tekno-bolt, since the Spider-crabs were all so close to the power plant.

And, just to make things just that much more fun, he was starting to feel the familiar disorientation that meant his time in Teknoman form was almost up.

Throwing his lancer at another knot of Spider-crabs, even as he saw the Blue Earth’s laser-cannons firing into a lower part of the group, Saber retrieved his lancer and took a moment to catch his breath again.

"How are you two doing in there?" he asked, tapping the Blue Earth’s comm.; the one he really wanted to spear to was Slade, but he knew that his older brother probably had his hands full with Spear. Best not to distract him.

"We’re better now that you’re here, Saber," Star said warmly.

Saber smiled. "Glad to hear it."

"Saber, five-minute warning," Ringo said, drawing Saber’s attention back to the matter at hand. "If you’re not getting your armored butt back in the ship, you’d better be moving."

"Just give me a minute, here," he responded, boosting himself up above the Blue Earth with his thrusters and straight into another knot of Spider-crabs; slicing and slashing with his teknolance, Saber dealt with them and landed back on the Blue Earth.

"Your minute’s past, Saber," Ringo said, sounding a bit annoyed. "I’m not going to be the one to have to tell Slade that you died out here, just because you were too stubborn to fly back into the air lock while you still could. Besides, I thought you said that being stubborn to the point of sheer stupidity was _Slade’s_ job."

Saber laughed. "You know, Ringo, I’m almost starting to regret telling you that."

Leaping from the top of the Blue Earth, Saber angled his way back to the secondary air lock and landed inside. Well, he didn’t so much _land_ as slump to his knees in the exhaustion he’d been pushing away for the last maybe-twenty minutes, but that was all right. He was safe here.

Still, just because _he_ was safe didn’t mean that everyone he cared about was; Star and Ringo still had to deal with all of the Spider-crabs that he hadn’t managed to kill, and Slade was still out there somewhere fighting against Spear. But there was nothing that he, personally, could do about that right now, so Saber focused on what he could do at the moment. He _could_ get some rest, so he’d be able to help Slade get settled when they both got back to the Command Center, and he _could_ make sure that his brother took care of himself when they were resting up from this ordeal.

His resolution made, Saber let his transformation fade. The energy that had been sustaining him, keeping him conscious in spite of how much he’d used fighting those Spider-crabs, faded away. Slumping the rest of the way to the ground as the last of his energy deserted him, Saber spared a brief thought for Slade.

He hoped his older twin was going to come out of this without getting _too_ beaten up.

001001010010

Ness’ screams filled his ears, and Spear closed his eyes as he continued to press the tip of his electrified lancer into his younger brother’s armored back. At least Ness hadn’t tried to beg him to stop; Spear didn’t know if he would have been able to continue under those kinds of circumstances. Hearing his younger brother, someone he still honestly cared about in spite of the harsh circumstances that the both of them were faced with now, beg him to stop what he was doing might have just managed to persuade him to do so.

Lord Darkon would not have been pleased with him if he did so, and so he was glad that Ness refused to beg; it might have just been foolish pride, but in this case Spear was glad for it.

The alarm on Ness’ helmet had started to ring by this time, letting Spear know that this plan of his, ruthless as it was, had begun at last to bear its bitter fruit. His younger brother had begun to call out for something, or possibly someone, named Pegas. Not knowing exactly what his younger brother was talking about, but suspecting that if he let Ness meet up with this Pegas then his well-laid plan would go more awry than he could cope with, Spear raced forward and drove the point of his teknolance into Ness’ chest.

"I’m so sorry, little brother," he said, his words lost in the harsh sound of Ness’ screaming. "Believe me, I am. But this... this is necessary. I have to bring you and Cain back home, you see?"

Ness’ screaming vied for prominence with the sound of his younger brother’s helmet-alarm, and Spear turned away slightly; he couldn’t bear to see his younger brother suffer this way. Still, it was for Ness’ own good; Spear found that he had to keep reminding himself of the truth of that statement as he carried through with his plan. He also took what little comfort he could in the fact that he would not be forced to make Cain suffer to such a degree.

He would simply have to track down the ship that carried the second of his lost, misguided younger brothers, and then take Cain back after he had dealt with the humans.

The momentary distraction nearly cost him, as he saw Ness’ pauldrons splitting open to reveal his younger brother’s energy-condensers. Dodging back and out of the way of the Tekno-bolt that Ness had just attempted to fire at him, Spear sighed. It was good that Ness was so tenacious, since such a trait would serve him very well among Lord Darkon’s ranks, but under the circumstances Spear wish that, just once, Ness would be amenable to reason.

He truly hated to see his dear younger brother suffering this way.

Ness fell to his knees, his breathing ragged and his helmet’s alarm sounding almost like it was screaming; that harsh, shrill ringing coming at such rapid intervals that it sounded almost continuous at this point.

"Please, little brother, don’t make me carry this any farther," he entreated, moving slowly closer to the kneeling form of one of his misguided younger brothers. "I don’t want to hurt you anymore. Please, just rest now; you’ll be all right."

Ness was still facing him, his ragged breathing and the quasi-shriek of his helmet’s alarm unchanged, but as his younger brother hadn’t made any aggressive moves, Spear felt safe enough to move slightly closer. The alarm on Ness’ helmet fell silent then, winking out almost as if a switch had been thrown, and Spear breathed a soft sigh of mingled relief and sorrow. This wasn’t what he truly wanted, merely a first step; it _was_ , however, an important one. The humans who sought to use his dear younger brothers as weapons against the very one who they had been reborn to serve, and against those who they shared bonds of both friendship and family, were not likely to tolerate one of their prize "weapons" going out of control to such a degree.

Moving to stand in front of Ness, knowing that his younger brother would be unable to move for the few moments that it would take his mind to recover from the strain of being forced into a position like this, Spear jabbed his lancer into the ground within easy reach. Even after Ness recovered, he knew that Ness’ mind would only be operating in the most rudimentary sense. His younger brother would be feral, a berserker, until such time as Spear was permitted to bring him back to Lord Darkon’s vessel to complete his transformation.

"I’m so sorry that it came to this between us, Ness," he said, cupping his younger brother’s right cheek as he stood before him; he knew that his younger brother was incapable of understanding him at this point, so Spear spoke for his own benefit. "Still, I know that someday, you’ll come to understand my reasons." Turning to leave, mentally signaling to the mount that Lord Darkon had bred for him, Spear looked back over his shoulder. "I’ll see you again," he promised.

Lifting off, he quickly located the ship carrying the humans who had taken the second of his lost younger brothers captive. Confronting them head-on, intending to carve open the cockpit and rip Cain free, Spear was confronted by the oddest sight: the woman, the one who had been communicating with Ness the last time that he had seen this selfsame ship, was holding Cain in her arms. She actually seemed to be taking great care as she moved closer to the front of the cockpit, seemingly trying not to jostle Cain as she walked.

When she saw him, the oddest expression came over her face. It was almost... defiance, of a sort; the human held Cain closer, almost clutching his younger brother’s insensate form to her bosom, and glaring up at him as if daring him to make an aggressive move. It was almost a maternal gesture; a mother defending her young against all comers. It was noble, in its way.

Perhaps not _all_ of the humans working for those who had stolen two of his younger brothers away from him needed to be dealt with so harshly or permanently as he had once thought. Perhaps this female, whatever her name was, could be convinced to leave with himself and Cain. It was something to consider, given the way she seemed so determined to protect his other younger brother.

However, the fact that he could sense Ness re-awakening from his fugue-like state let Spear know that now was no longer the time to contemplate his actions. Nodding in slight respect to the human female who still held Cain in her arms, Spear ordered his mount to turn and leave. He would have to speak to Lord Darkon about what he had found, once he had returned to the Space Ring.

000010010111

When that evil Teknoman had appeared in front of the Blue Earth, staring down at her like some kind of nightmare creature, Star hadn’t known if she was going to live to see the next few hours. Still, with Saber lying helpless in her arms, and Ringo trying to get a lock on the Teknoman when he was barely an arm’s length away from the cockpit windows, Star wasn’t about to give one of Darkon’s monsters the satisfaction of seeing her cower before him. Holding Saber closer to her body, even as she was completely aware that this Teknoman could kill her and Ringo, and even Saber without expending much of his energy, Star glared defiantly up at the Teknoman. There were clear differences between this new Teknoman and the twins, though his armor was almost as dark as Saber’s own.

She could hear the sounds of the targeting computer signaling a lock, when the tall, dark-purple Teknoman nodded and suddenly turned away.

"What the hell was _that_ about?" she heard Ringo mutter from behind her.

"Nevermind that," she said, strapping Saber tightly into his seat. "Slade’s time is up! We need to get him into the Teknobot!"

"Right," Ringo said. "Slade, Pegas is coming into position now. Slade? Slade, come in!"

Star clutched the armrests of her chair briefly; Slade had to be all right. They might have cut it a bit fine considering his time-limit, but Saber had almost done that, too, and now he was here with them. Slade was coming home with them, too.

"All right, Slade," Star said, having regained her composure. "Pegas is hovering just above you, can you make it to the interlock-chamber? Slade, please respond! Are you all right?" When Slade turned around, Star sighed in relief. "Thank goodness," she muttered. "Slade, are you reading me?"

The only thing Slade did in response was to fire his thrusters and come flying at them.

"What is he _doing_?!" she demanded, as the white-armored form of Saber’s twin brother lashed out at the Blue Earth with his weapon.

"Hold on, Star!" Ringo ordered fiercely, and Star braced herself against his sudden evasive maneuvers. "The poor kid; we came too late! I gotta take him out."

"Ringo, wait!" she exclaimed, running to place herself in front of the pilot’s station.

"Get out of the way, Star! Slade’s lost it! He’s gone off the deep end!"

"What do you think Saber would say if he knew that you had shot his twin brother to death in front of him?" she demanded, trying to get Ringo to see sense.

"Look, Star-" Ringo trailed off, focusing past her at something over her left shoulder. "He’s even attacking Pegas!"

Turning so that she could see what Ringo was looking at, Star saw that it was true; Slade _had_ just attacked his and Saber’s combat partner.

"Blue Earth to Command Center," Ringo said, having obviously activated the secondary comm. unit. "Bad news, Commander: Slade’s thirty-minute window in Teknoman mode expired before we could get him into the Teknobot. Saber’s still with us, but he’s not going to be happy to hear about what happened to his brother. We’re returning to base."

That was really all that anyone could say, and as she returned to her seat, Star looked over at Saber. Ringo’s maneuvering had caused him to shift a bit from the position he’d been in when she’d settled him into his seat. Now, with his head bowed as if in sorrow, it was all Star could do not to go over to comfort Saber where he sat.

Instead, Star turned her attention back to her navigational duties, trying to immerse herself in ship’s business so she wouldn’t have to think so much; so she wouldn’t have to _feel_.


	14. Spear Strike

As they made their way back to the Command Center, Ringo couldn’t help stealing glances at Saber; and at the empty chair that he was sitting behind. Slade should have been there, curled up and sleeping just like his brother. _Maybe if we hadn’t_ \- Ringo cut himself off; now was hardly the time for self-recriminations.

Besides, he tried to make it a point not to waste his time with stupid things like that; it had _happened_ , it was in the past, and now all that remained was for the Space Knights to deal with the problem.

Flying out of the area before Slade’s attention could fall on them again, probably severely injuring them in the process, if not killing them outright, Ringo pushed the thrusters a bit. They would be perfectly capable of refueling once they got back to the Command Center, but if they got into a scrap with Slade while he was going berserk like this, then all three of them would be in serious danger. Especially with Saber conked out the way he was right now.

Breathing more easily as he passed the halfway point between the power plant where they’d all been fighting and the Space Knight Command Center, Ringo took another look at the back of Saber’s head. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to telling the kid about what had happened to his brother; of course, maybe he’d already know when he woke up. He’d heard that twins were kind of freaky that way; theirs just happened to be a bit more freaky than most.

Landing back in the Command Center, Ringo shut down the Blue Earth, climbed down out of his piloting station, and went over to check on Saber. The kid was still sleeping, and when Ringo moved his head, he saw that the kid’s face was all nice and peaceful. _That_ wasn’t going to last; not when the kid found out what had happened to his twin, or just how close all of them had come to getting killed by the kid himself.

Unstrapping Saber from his seat, Ringo glanced over at Star as he gathered the kid into his arms. She still seemed to be suffering from shellshock; still, given what the both of them had just been forced to watch, Ringo couldn’t really find it in himself to blame her. If he hadn’t had Saber to look after, he would have been right there to comfort her.

Knowing that Star would come out when she’d managed to regain at least _some_ of her composure, Ringo made his way out of the Blue Earth on his way to Saber’s room. He knew now that the Wonder Twins had liked to spend time together when they’d had an especially bad day, something he still thought was pretty damned adorable, but since Slade wasn’t exactly himself right now, Saber was just going to have to get along without him.

Balancing Saber’s weight against the wall, Ringo punched in the override code for his door and carried the kid into his room. Taking off his boots and vest, Ringo put Saber in his bed and covered him up so that he could sleep more comfortably. Looking back at the kid as he left his room, Ringo sighed.

Poor kid; his own brother had just gone off the deep end, and he hadn’t even been able to do a thing.

11010001000

When he had gotten the report from Ringo about what had happened to Slade, Hamilton Jamison had begun to make plans for what would need to be done. He would have to speak with Saber, of course, since that young man possessed the same type of power that his brother did and hence would be of great use to their efforts to discover exactly what had happened to Slade, as well as how the problem might be corrected in the future. It would also help Saber to keep his mind off of what had happened to his brother; he knew from long, bitter experience that it was best to keep a soldier distracted under these kinds of circumstances.

Making his way out of his quarters, Jamison made his way down through the corridors and into the area of the general crew-quarters. He passed Slade’s empty quarters, pausing outside the door for a moment to make a silent vow. _We’ll see you returned to us as soon as possible, son. Just hold on._

Making the rest of his interrupted journey to Saber’s quarters, Jamison paused outside. Common courtesy dictated that he ring the privacy chime and give Saber a chance to compose himself, but under the circumstances he thought that it would be best to let the young man know what had happened quickly. As well as what they would all need to do to resolve the situation.

Overriding the door controls with his personal code, Jamison made his way over to Saber’s bed just as the young man himself began to stir. Saber shifted slightly, bangs falling away from his forehead to reveal a strange spot of light. Curious, Jamison moved closer in an effort to observe it more clearly.

It seemed to be a vector-style image of his teknocrystal, small enough to fit in the space between his eyebrows, and placed in the center of his forehead like some kind of third eye. It wasn’t the strangest thing that he had seen in relation to these two young men, but it _was_ yet another oddity that he hadn’t been given cause to suspect. As Saber’s eyes began to open, Jamison stepped back to give the young man a modicum of personal space.

Saber yawned, sitting up in his bed and rubbing at his right eye for a brief moment. As the strange, vector-image of his teknocrystal appeared on Saber’s forehead once more, the young man’s face contorted into an expression of worried concentration. Jamison, beginning to suspect what Saber was trying to do, and now rather curious about just _how_ he was doing it, decided that now was the time to speak to the young man about their current situation.

"Saber," he called, drawing the young man’s attention to him.

"Commander? What are _you_ doing here?" Saber asked, and then shook his head briefly. "Wait, that’s not important. Where’s Slade?"

"This may be difficult for you to hear, son," he said, stepping forward so that he could lay his right hand on the young man’s right shoulder. "On the last mission, when you and Slade split up to deal with the Spider-crabs and that new Teknoman, respectively, Slade was forced past the thirty minutes that he could safely remain in his Teknoman form." Seeing the expression on Saber’s face, Jamison squeezed his shoulder gently. "I want you to know that I do not hold you in any way responsible for what happened; you had no way of knowing the outcome of that battle in advance, and your intervention may very well have saved the Blue Earth from the Spider-crabs."

"Spear," Saber said, his eyes lowered; Jamison wondered for a moment what the young man was talking about. When Saber looked back up at him, however, he realized that the young man was attempting to distract himself from the implications of the information that had been presented to him. "That new Teknoman; his name is Spear."

"Spear, then," Jamison said, watching Saber’s face for any signs of further guilt or self-recrimination.

"Look, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it," Saber said, looking up at him with solemn, light-blue eyes. "Just... help me get him back."

"I will do everything in my power to return Slade to us safely, Saber," he said gripping the young man’s shoulder just that much tighter. "You have my word. I would also like to thank you for offering your assistance. I _am_ going to need your help during this crisis; clearly, the data I’ve been gathering on the tekno-power system isn’t sufficient as yet. I’m going to need some time to make preparations for gathering the necessary data, however, so I’ll return here once I’ve finished with them. Will you wait?"

"Yeah," Saber said, nodding and smiling in a way more rueful than happy. "I have to get my day started properly, anyway. Though, if you’re going to need me to transform, I’m going to need to have something to eat."

"I’ll keep that in mind," he said, stepping back and away from Saber’s bed so that the young man could rise to his feet without feeling crowded. "Thank you again for your cooperation, Saber."

"You’re welcome, sir," Saber said, giving him a tired sort of salute.

"At ease, son," he said gently, clapping the young man on his left shoulder. "I’ll be back shortly."

"I’ll be here," he heard Saber say; the young man sounded listless, as if all that he’d been informed about had just started to register emotionally with him.

Jamison knew that it would therefore be in need of the all the distractions that could be reasonably provided to him, and as he left Saber’s room so that he could confer with the Space Knights’ research staff, Jamison resolved to give the young man what he needed to keep him from driving himself mad with worries about his twin brother’s state. It would do a great deal of good, not only for Saber himself, but for the Earth as a whole. There were clearly aspects of the Radam’s tekno-power system that he had not yet discovered; Slade’s descent into this dangerous psychosis was clear proof of that.

0010010100

Curled up inside yet another of the teknopods that had devoured the crew of the Argos even as they had tried frantically to escape, those that had been conscious to do so at least, one of the ones who hadn’t even had the chance to run was starting to stir once again. She’d lost consciousness from the pain of the initial stages of the process, but now, in the absence of any pain, or indeed of any particular stimuli at all, she was beginning to regain awareness.

She still remembered who she was: her name was Katherine Wallace, and she had been traveling with her younger brother, her fiancé, and the members of his family. Not to mention the rest of the crewmembers aboard the Argos. Katherine didn’t know just how many of the others had survived to this point, but now that she knew just what it was that the Radam did to their surviving captives, she hoped for all of their sakes that the people she knew had died.

It was a sad thing to hope for, but under the circumstances it was the best that she could do.

Katherine could almost feel herself sliding backwards, back down into the abyss of unconsciousness that she had so recently climbed up out of, and as her mind slowly shut down again, Katherine Wallace hoped that she would never wake up.

0010010010

When he returned to Saber’s room, Jamison found that the young man had dressed himself in his Space Knight uniform and settled down on his bed. Saber wasn’t wearing his boots, however, the fact that he currently had his knees slightly bent and his feet up on his bed offered an explanation for that before Jamison could wonder about the fact for more than a few seconds.

"Finished already?" Saber asked, turning to him with a slightly more calm expression on his face; he seemed to have adjusted to the situation.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "I would, however, like to ask you about one thing, before we begin."

"Oh?" the young man asked, looking up from putting on his boots. "What’s that?"

"What was the cause of that symbol appearing on your forehead?" Jamison asked, moving slightly backward as Saber stood up.

"I was actually trying to contact my brother," the young man said, smiling in a morose fashion. "See how he was doing, after that fight he’d been through with Spear."

"You and Slade are telepathically linked?" he asked, having started to suspect that such would be the case but wanting also to have it confirmed by the young man himself.

"All Teknomen can communicate telepathically," Saber said, as the two of them began making their way out of his quarters and down the corridor to the medical research division for this particular sub-section of the Space Knight Command Center. "I just can’t seem to get through to Slade. I mean," the young man shrugged, seeming to be looking out at something only he could see for a few, long moments. "I can sense him well enough, the way I always can when the two of us contact each other that way, but- it’s like there’s some kind of mental static blocking me out."

"I see," he said.

The implications of what Saber had said, the _full_ implications of the young man’s words, were not lost on Jamison after he had finished speaking. After all, if every Teknoman was indeed capable of both communicating with and sensing one another with only a mental effort, a slight one at that, if what he had seen from Saber was any indication, then it was logical to surmise that Spear - or indeed any other Teknoman that the Radam might be able to create - would be able to do the same. He would have to ascertain the full capabilities of the telepathic link that Teknomen were all implied to share.

Not only for Saber and Slade’s continued mental health, but possibly for the continued safety of the Space Knights as a whole.

When they arrived in the medical research division, Jamison took a moment to survey the room. All of the tools necessary for gathering data about Saber’s transformation, and by extension Slade’s in a more general sense, had been moved into the room.

"Good morning, Commander Jamison."

"Good morning, Silvia," he greeted, nodding to the head of his research staff. "I trust you have everything you need."

"Yes, Commander," she said. "So, this is the young man we’re going to be working with, is it?"

"Yes," he said, motioning Saber forward. "Saber, I would like you to meet Dr. Sylvia Woolfe, head of medical research for the Space Knights."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Woolfe," the young man said, shaking her hand. "Sorry if I’m a bit distracted, sometimes."

"You’re just worried about your brother," Sylvia said, smiling gently as she released Saber’s hand. "I would be, too, if I were in your position."

Saber offered a small smile in response. "So, what do I do first?"

Moving off to the side of the room, wanting to observe Saber’s reaction to the tests more than the tests themselves, Jamison listened with half an ear as Sylvia explained just what Saber was to be doing during the series of examinations that would be run to determine the nature of his powers. And just how that information might be used to help Slade in the near future.

Watching as Saber removed his vest, Jamison wondered briefly about the dubious expression on his face as he stood before the upright scanner. It only lasted for a few seconds, and Saber didn’t resist being directed to step into the scanner, but Jamison was still curious about it. Saber closed his eyes while he was being scanned, but Jamison could see that the young man wasn’t entirely comfortable in his current position; there was an expression on his face that suggested he was concentrating in an effort to keep himself from walking out of the scanner before its full scan-cycle had been completed.

Once the scan had been completed and Saber had been allowed to leave while the scientists gathered the recorded data, Jamison walked over to speak with the young man before the next set of tests could commence.

"Saber, I noticed that you seemed uncomfortable while you were inside the scanner," he said, watching as the young man put his vest back on and seemed to make an effort to recompose himself. "Is there anything that could be done to make you feel more comfortable?"

"No," Saber shook his head, chuckling in a rueful sort of way. "That thing just makes my skin tingle something fierce. It’s like my whole body went numb, or something."

"Ah," he said; it was a slightly strange reaction, but then Saber was not quite an ordinary young man. Perhaps this was just another symptom of that. "Are you feeling better now?"

"I think I’ll be all right, just as long as I don’t have to spend time in that thing again for awhile."

Saber looked over his shoulder as Sylvia called him back over, then nodded to him and turned to make his way back toward the gathered scientific staff. The medical bed that had been brought in for the more detailed examinations was wheeled into the center of the room, placing it more directly under the large overhead lights. Saber seemed mildly dubious, but in the end he went over to sit on the bed.

Sylvia’s assistant, a young man named Shiyu Odagiri, took a pair of blood samples from Saber’s right wrist. The young man himself watched as the needle was inserted slightly, then turned his face deliberately away. Jamison made a mental note of the young man’s seeming aversion to needles, before stepping forward.

There was one more request that he wanted to make of the young man, before he transformed in preparation for the next round of tests.

"If you could spare a few moments, Sylvia, I would like to speak with Saber about something," he said, having made his way over to the medical bed where the young man was still sitting.

"Of course, Commander," Sylvia said, stepping back so that he could stand in front of the brave, determined young man who had chosen to volunteer for these tests, all so that his brother would benefit from the results.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Commander?" Saber said, looking up from his examination of his wrist.

"I wanted to ask if you would be willing to provide a small tissue sample, so that we might be able to determine the composition of that crystal-substance that we detected in Slade’s body when we ran the MRI on him," he explained, watching the young man’s face as he spoke. "You’re free to refuse if you wish, of course. I wouldn’t force you into something like this, but I do think that it would be beneficial for us to have such a sample."

"How small is ‘small’?" Saber asked, clearly dubious about the idea but still seeming willing to be persuaded.

"One inch, square," he stated.

"That doesn’t sound so bad," Saber said, an expression of relief slowly appearing on his face. "I can deal with that."

Nodding, he stepped back as Sylvia and her assistants began to prepare for the operation; setting up the equipment that they would need to monitor Saber’s vital functions while he was placed under general anesthesia, as well as the gasses that would be used to induce such a state. Saber kept his eyes on what the scientists were doing, even as he removed his vest, shirt, and then his boots. Situating himself more comfortably on the medical bed, he glanced over at the tools that were being brought over.

Then, he seemed to deliberately turn his attention away from the tools that were going to be used to collect the tissue sample that he had offered to give. As the breathing mask was affixed to the lower half of his face, Jamison moved closer so that he would be able to observe the operation in more detail. Watching as Saber’s light-blue eyes lost their usual focus and intensity, the lids falling shut as the mixture of gasses slowly took effect, Jamison felt humbled by the trust that Saber had offered him.

After all, if he had been a different sort of man, it would have been very easy for him to order Saber vivisected while he was helpless like this. Saber had ultimately put his own life in Jamison’s hands, the young man trusting him to ensure that he was allowed to wake up from the anesthetized state he had been placed in. Jamison made up his mind, then and there, that he would strive to be worthy of that kind of trust.

"Thank you, son," he said softly, brushing the top of Saber’s head with his right hand.

Sylvia smiled gently at him, even as she finished removing the tissue sample that Saber had offered. "He really is an amazing young man."

"Yes," he said, looking down again at one of the two extraordinary young men who had chosen to offer themselves in defense of the Earth; it was not just their powers that made Saber and his brother so noteworthy, but the fact that not many people who had been granted this kind of power would have chosen to fight for the sake of people they didn’t know. "They both are, truly."

"Yes," Sylvia said, as she began to reseal the incision that she had made in Saber’s left side, two inches below his arm.

When a line of bright, red light appeared briefly on Saber’s flesh, stretching from the young man’s flank to the underside of his arm, Jamison wondered at it for a moment. At least, he did so until he saw the wound in Saber’s side sealing itself tightly shut.

"Seems there’s a bit more to these boys than even _we_ suspected, Commander," Sylvia said, smiling slightly as she ran her fingertips over the location that she had taken the tissue sample from; it showed no signs of ever having been disturbed at all.

"Yes, doctor, I think you’re right," he said, looking down at the unbroken skin of Saber’s left side.

It was interesting, the way that he could find out something entirely new and unexpected, when he was simply searching for a way to help Slade regain his senses, and to prevent a reoccurrence of such a thing in the future. As Saber began to revive, assisted by the pure oxygen that was being fed into his respirator mask, Jamison wondered for a few moments just what the following round of examinations would reveal about the nature of Saber’s tekno-armor.

1110010111

Searching for Star throughout the halls and corridors of the Space Knight Command Center had been something of a bust, but Ringo could at least say that it had given him _some_ idea of where to look next. Star _had_ mentioned that she had taken the Wonder Twins to the bio-dome, so that was as good a place as any to look for her. Making his way to the bio-dome, Ringo went inside and started his search for Star again.

It didn’t take him long to find her.

"Hey," he called softly, crouching down next to Star as she sat under a large bush of blooming lilac flowers. "You feeling all right?"

"You know, when Slade came into Comm. One yesterday, I never thought that something like _this_ would happen," Star muttered, staring down at the bunch of amaryllis flowers that Ringo hadn’t noticed her holding up until right then. "I mean, I knew _something_ was going to happen, with the Radam Spider-crabs attacking, and that new Teknoman appearing the way he did, but I didn’t think things would turn out like _this_."

"There wasn’t really any way that you _could_ have known, Star," he said, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders and letting her lean into him. "It’s not like that Teknoman told us what he was planning to do to Slade."

"But, maybe if I-"

"Hey," he said, gently cutting her off before she could get too down on herself. "Why don’t we go see the Commander?" he suggested gently. "I’m sure he already has a plan all worked out to deal with this crisis."

Actually, he wasn’t sure at all about what he was saying, but he wanted to get Star out of this funk she’d obviously sunk herself into about Slade. Besides, this was the _Commander_ he was talking about; he probably had at least _some_ inklings of a plan to get them all through this. He just hoped that nothing _too_ drastic happened while they were all working to put together a strategy.

Leaving the bio-dome with Star in tow, Ringo made sure to keep an eye on her, wanting to make sure she was really as all right as she was obviously trying to convince herself she was. _Maybe I should see about having Saber talk to her for a bit,_ he thought; sure, Slade’s brother wasn’t too much like the kid himself, something that Ringo often found himself grateful for, but he still shared that same essential toughness with his twin. If anyone would be able to convince Star that Slade was going to be just fine, it would have to be him.

Speaking to a few of their fellow Space Knights, he soon found that the Commander was with the scientific division. It sounded like he was doing something pretty involved with Saber, probably trying to find out all he could about that armor that the twins had. Knowing where the Commander was now, and pleased to have Saber so close at hand besides, Ringo lead Star to the scientific division’s niche in this particular sector of the Command Center.

Making his way forward, tugging Star along when she seemed inclined to fall behind for one reason or another, Ringo soon came to the lair of the lab-jockeys; or so he liked to call it when no one was listening.

The first thing that caught his attention was the large, red-on-black figure of Teknoman Saber standing in the center of the lab; and at the center of attention for all of the lab-jockeys, but that was only to be expected. Even though Saber was on their side, this was still a _Teknoman_ they were dealing with. Moving unobtrusively into the back of the room, Ringo watched as Saber in Teknoman form was put through his paces.

The funniest part, though, had to be when the lab-jockeys wanted Saber to walk though the upright scanner so they could get a more in-depth reading off his armored form. Only problem was, said armored form had those incredibly oversized pauldrons. Those things stuck out even further than _Slade’s_ , for Christ’s sake, and Slade’s were already pretty huge.

To be fair, though, Slade fired his Tekno-bolt out of his pauldrons; Ringo just didn’t know what Saber did with _his_.

But, as the various techs and lab-jockeys tried to figure out a way to get Saber in full armor to fit through the scanner, the kid brought his arms forward. The huge pauldrons both folded down over his arms, and there was a sound like a pair of knives being unsheathed at once. Which was pretty fitting, considering the fact that Saber was now sporting a pair of extremely sharp, foot-and-a-half blades from the place where his hands used to be.

As the kid folded his arms in front of him, obviously trying not to damage any of the equipment in the room or accidentally stab himself in the foot, Ringo rolled his eyes. As Saber was put through the scanner again, after a brief comment from Commander Jamison that he couldn’t quite hear over the general goings-on in the room at large, Ringo chuckled under his breath. _Well, at least now I know why he has those huge pauldrons_ , he mused; of course they were the size of his lower-arms, they fit _over_ his lower-arms when he needed another weapon or two.

Still, he couldn’t help thinking that the whole blades-up-the-shoulders bit was kind of overkill; what with the Tekno-bolt-in-the-chest, the giant-bladed-boomerang/staff that was just a bit taller than _he_ was, that could also fire off some weird kind of laser-grappling beam, and be split down the middle into the world’s biggest throwing-star.

_ Well, at least no one can say we’re sending these kids into battle under-armed, _ Ringo mused, as he continued to watch the lab-jockeys putting Saber through his paces. Things seemed to be going pretty well, up to the point where it occurred to him to wonder just how much time they’d all been at this. Saber only had twenty-five minutes to Slade’s thirty, but the upside of that was that overstaying _his_ time-limit didn’t make him go crazy the way Slade had. It just made him pass out.

Then, as if someone out there had been listening to him, Saber started breathing more heavily, like he’d just run a marathon. Or else like he’d just used up the last of his energy and was running on fumes. When the kid started cupping his armored face with his right hand, Ringo stood up from where he’d been leaning against the far wall of the room.

The Commander called Saber’s name, trying to find out what was wrong with the kid, even as Ringo himself made his way over to where Saber was standing. The blue, glowing crystal-shape that always showed up whenever one of the Wonder Twins transformed into or out of that armor of theirs faded in around him, and Saber’s armor vanished into blue-white light just a few seconds after. Moving quickly through the room, he caught Saber just as the light had faded out entirely and the kid had started to pitch forward.

"Easy, kid, I gotcha," he said to the top of Saber’s head, gathering the kid into his arms.

It always amazed him how light Saber seemed. Not that the kid was _actually_ light or anything, but it had always seemed to him that, given what Saber and his brother were capable of becoming, that the kid himself should be heavier. He seemed about average weight for his height and level of physical conditioning, but all things considered Saber still seemed too light to him.

"Where do you want me to put him, Commander?" he asked, as the man himself came over to them.

"Lay him down on the medical bed," the Commander said, after he’d paused to look the kid over for a bit.

After he’d gotten Saber all nestled back into the bed, Ringo turned his attention back to Commander Jamison. The Commander’s eyes stayed on Saber for a bit longer, before he turned his attention to Ringo.

"It seems that Saber operates under a different set of constraints than Slade," the Commander said, folding his arms.

"Yeah," he muttered, looking back over his shoulder at the kid before turning his attention back to the Commander; the kid looked pretty peaceful, but Ringo honestly doubted that it was going to last, considering the current crisis they were facing. "Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Commander, but Saber only told _me_ when we were heading out for that mission yesterday."

"I understand," the Commander said, his right hand on his chin. "Still, it _is_ something else to consider."

"Right," he said, then sighed. "Commander, what are we going to do about Slade? I mean, we can’t just leave him out there on his own. To say nothing of the damage he’s got to be causing, I’m sure that Saber would be worrying himself sick if he didn’t have all of these other things to distract himself with." _Or if he wasn’t conked out in a med-bed at the moment,_ Ringo thought but didn’t say.

"I know," the Commander said, nodding sharply. "That is why, once Saber has had a chance to rest and refresh himself, I want you, him, and Star to monitor Slade’s actions from the Blue Earth. I want to know what’s going on out there, and I expect that Saber will, too."

"Well, you’d be right about that, Commander," he said, looking back over his shoulder at the kid as he slept on.

11010100111

She could hear Ringo and the Commander talking, discussing what they were all going to do about Slade; how they were going to be keeping a strict watch on Slade, but she wasn’t paying all that much attention to the conversation. Saber was still asleep on the medical bed in front of her, and as she stared down at him, Star couldn’t help thinking of Slade.

Anyone could see that the twins were related, and most people who only got a quick look at them wouldn’t really be able to tell them apart. Still, with Slade gone, all Star could see were the differences: Saber’s skin was a lighter shade, almost creamy in its paleness; Saber’s eyes, covered now by his closed lids, were the same blue as the open sky; his face unmarked, and his hair falling perfectly straight down to his shoulders. He smiled and laughed where Slade brooded, joked where Slade was silent, and was cheerful in the face of pretty much everything the Radam threw at him.

He and Slade were really such different people, in spite of the fact that they were twins.

When Saber had awakened again, Star offered to take him to the cafeteria to get some food. Saber agreed readily, and neither Ringo nor the Commander offered any objections to her doing so. She’d known that Saber wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of getting food, since he’d used up so much of his energy transforming, even though he _hadn’t_ been forced to fight; something that she hoped would hold true for the rest of the day, but they _were_ going out there to face Slade. Maybe not to _fight_ him, but with what she had seen him do when he caught a glimpse of the Blue Earth...

Star just hoped that nothing too drastic would end up happening today, that was all.

Finally, Saber finished with his meal, and the three of them made for the Blue Earth to take off. Seeing Saber in what was usually Slade’s chair, working the controls that his brother usually busied himself with, made Star acutely aware of just how different this day was from all of the other ones that had proceeded it. She just hoped that next time Saber ended up at his brother’s station, if there _was_ a next time, it wasn’t under circumstances like this.

The pre-flight checks completed, the Blue Earth was boosted into the sky by its pre-launch vehicle, and Star caught her first glimpse of the outside world since they had flown back to the Command Center so that Saber would be able to rest. She thought it was appropriate how night had fallen, how the sky around them was filled with dark clouds; even the weather seemed fitting: there was a thunderstorm going on. It would have felt so wrong if they had been chasing Slade on a sunny day, with white clouds drifting lazily in the sky.

It would have felt like the worst kind of mockery.

They were re-tracing their flightpath from earlier today, back to the place where they had lost Slade, to see if they could find him again along that heading. He hadn’t seemed particularly coherent, so there was a silent consensus that he hadn’t flown away. At least, she _hoped_ he hadn’t.

As they came closer to Cooper Nuclear Fusion Plant, and the field of flowers beyond it where they had lost contact with Slade, Star looked over at Saber. She’d been about to ask him if he was all right, since it couldn’t have been easy for him to be out hunting down his brother like this, even if they _were_ trying to avoid a fight. When she turned to look his way, however, she found that Saber’s eyes were closed and he had his arms folded over his chest.

There was an expression of such focused concentration on his face that Star wondered what it was that he was thinking about; she didn’t think it was a good idea to disturb him, though.

"He’s that way," Saber said, opening his eyes and unfolding his arms. "If we keep going straight along this heading, we’ll catch up to him in a couple minutes."

"How in the world do you know _that_ , Saber?" Ringo demanded, before she herself could articulate a similar question.

Saber looked over his right shoulder, his gaze taking in both her and Ringo. "We have selective telepathy," he said, after a few silent, contemplative moments.

"Ha!" she heard Ringo exult. "I _knew_ you two had freaky twin powers."

"Right," Saber drawled, giving Ringo a look that Star thought combined equal parts annoyance and amusement.

As they closed in on the location that Saber had indicated, Star wondered for a moment if he really _could_ sense Slade, the way he’d said that he could. All of those thoughts were pushed right out of her head by what she saw next, however: the AEM’s ground forces were moving forward in formation, obviously about to engage someone. And, Star had a feeling that she knew just who that "someone" was.

Saber’s weary sigh let her know that _he_ had realized that, too.

Watching as the tanks, mobile pillboxes, and missile trucks all began to fire on Slade at once, Star felt her heart leap into her throat. She _did_ know why they were doing it, at least on an intellectual level: Slade was dangerous, unstable, and he had likely already started attacking them before they had brought out the heavy artillery to confront him. She _knew_ all of that; emotionally, however, she was watching a friend, or someone who she thought could be more than a friend, as he was pelted with live ammunition and artillery.

It was probably even worse for Saber, since this was his own twin brother who he was watching be hammered with the military’s various heavy-weaponry.

When the dust and the light from the various weapons that had been aimed at Slade had cleared at last, Star was at least somewhat relieved to know that Slade had made it. They _were_ going to bring him back, but at this point he was still dangerous. She didn’t know quite how she felt about this operation, but Star suspected that Saber felt just the same.

"Look at that," Ringo said, after the three of them had watched helplessly as Slade destroyed all of the tanks, their crews and the rest of the artillery that had been sent out against him. "Pounding him with everything they’ve got, and he’s still just standing there."

"Yeah; whatever else you could say about my brother, now, he’s as tough as he ever was."

"We’ve still got to find a way to stop him," she reminded them all; herself in particular.

"Yeah," Ringo acknowledged, circling high over Slade’s head so that they could all keep him in sight. "C’mon, Slade; wake up, pal. You’ve gotta get out of that suit," he muttered, sounding like he was just talking to hear his own voice. "I might just have to ram him with the Blue Earth."

Before she could begin to berate him for having such a stupid, most likely suicidal, idea, the Commander spoke up. "Forget it, Ringo."

"Commander Jamison," he exclaimed, sounding just about as startled as she felt. "I had no idea you were- I mean, I was just thinking out loud."

"No need to apologize, son," the Commander said. "We’re all grasping at straws here, but what we need are _solutions_ , not noble gestures."

"Well, then maybe I should-"

" _No_ , Saber," the Commander said, firmly cutting him off. "The last thing we need now is a fight between brothers."

Saber laughed then, a sound with little humor and less mirth, and Star wondered for a moment what he was thinking. "Yeah."

"Commander, is there _any_ hope?" she asked, not wanting to give up on Slade, but not knowing what any of them here could do to help him.

"There’s always hope, but we need results."

"How do we get them?" she asked.

"Obviously, a frontal-assault won’t work," the Commander said. "The Blue Earth would be incapable of breaching Slade’s defenses, and a fight between Saber and Slade would most likely end in a stalemate. At least so long as Saber is able to remain in his own transformed state." Left unsaid was what was likely to happen when Saber _was_ forced to transform back, but for a few moments, before she clamped down on her overactive imagination, Star could see Slade standing over the maimed, bleeding form of his twin. Slade would never forgive himself if he harmed Saber, so it really was best that Saber stayed behind on the Blue Earth. For all of their sakes. "However, there _is_ another possibility."

"What kind of a possibility?" she asked, since as far as she could see there was nothing anyone could do.

"Getting a reading of his brainwaves, and his life-support system. Seeing if it differs from Saber’s in any significant ways. Then finding out what causes his thirty-minute transformation limit, and fixing it."

"Good plan," Saber said, and this time his soft chuckles sounded genuine.

"Affirmative, Commander," Ringo said, with the formality he only displayed when things were desperately serious, and he sent the Blue Earth circling back around over Slade again. "Firing remote-sensors."

The small, almost unnoticeable sensors, equipped with special electro-magnets that would help them cling to Slade’s armor no matter how much he moved around, came flying out of the back of the ship. As Star watched Slade leap forward, slashing and striking out against what she thought in his mind might be a small horde of Spider-crabs but in reality were only the small rock formations that he had been standing in front of, she felt her heart go out to him. It seemed now like he was lashing out in pure, blind panic.

"Oh, Slade," she said, as he paused for a moment and she saw his large, armored shoulders heaving as he breathed deeply. "We want to help."

0010010011

"I’m afraid we may be too late," Jamison muttered, staring at the young man, armored, armed and dangerous as he was, displayed on the main screen.

It was a problem that he had personally hoped that they would never have to face: the prospect of one of his Space Knights becoming such a danger to the very people that all of them were ultimately fighting to protect, but it was one that he had tried to prepare for all the same. After all, with the Radam here in force - and that new Teknoman, Spear - obviously looking to capitalize on any of their weaknesses, it had truly been only a matter of time before this obvious weakness of Slade’s had been discovered and exploited. However, Jamison could at least find some solace in the fact that Saber’s weakness was still undiscovered as yet.

If it _had_ been discovered, then it was more than likely that Spear would have killed the young man at the end of yesterday’s skirmish, the same way that he had used Slade’s own exploitable weakness to turn _that_ young man into what seemed like some kind of mindless berserker.

"Poor Slade. Isn’t there anything we can do, Commander?" he heard Tina mutter, and for a moment he turned a bit of his attention to the youngest of his Space Knights. "He’s so alone, and Saber must be so worried."

There was no answer that he could give, nothing that he could say that was likely to provide any measure of solace to the youngest of his Space Knights; nothing that he could state as fact with any degree of certainty, at least, and he was not about to lie to one of his own. So, he merely stood, watching the video-feed from the Blue Earth from behind the darkly-tinted visor that he used to help emotionally distance himself from what he was seeing or doing at times like this one. It was all he _could_ do, for the moment.

00001010010

_ He ran, Amaryllis flowers in full bloom to either side of him, as he lead Shara and Cain on a merry chase through the fields they were all running through. Cain was catching up to him, though, and with a lunge his younger twin tackled him to the ground and they began to wrestle. Laughing as a storm of Amaryllis petals was knocked loose, falling all around them as he and Cain rolled and tussled through the field. Shara was laughing, either with them or at them, and he laughed even harder as he heard her. _

_ Finally, though, Cain managed to pin him down on a clear patch of ground; laughing, his younger twin flicked him on the forehead. Lunging forward as Cain laughed at him, he winced as his and Cain’s heads smacked together. Looking back up at his younger twin as he got to his knees, rubbing his forehead where it had smacked against Cain’s, he couldn’t help but laugh. _

_ It was funny, and Cain was laughing too, so that made it okay. _

_ He didn’t notice that Cain had stopped laughing for a what felt like only a minute, but when he looked back at his younger twin, he froze in sheer horror. There were vines tightly wrapped around both of Cain’s wrists, coiling up his arms and lifting him about a foot off the ground. Cain was struggling against their hold, but it looked like the vines were about to rip his arms off. _

_ Rushing over to where Cain was being pulled in two different directions, he grabbed his younger twin’s left arm and clawed at the vines wrapping around it. He’d pull them off, and then he’d get Cain’s other arm free, and then they would both get out of this place. Cain was struggling really hard, trying to pull himself loose from the vines; he was glad to see that, it meant that Cain was still okay. _

_ When had it gotten so dark, though? It didn’t look like night, just like it had gotten really dark all of a sudden. _

_ Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the vines wrapped around Cain’s left arm. It wasn’t too dark to see, so he wouldn’t trip on anything once he had Cain loose, so he wasn’t going to worry about it. It probably wasn’t important, anyway. _

_ When Cain screamed, then started to gag like there was something caught in his throat, he looked back up to see if he could see what was wrong. Another pair of vines had stabbed Cain in the left side, and even as he watched the vines dug deeper into his younger twin’s body. Cain was calling him by the special nickname that he’d made up, and there was blood, so much blood, coming out of his younger twin’s mouth. _

_ More frightened than he could ever remember being, he looked back over his shoulder to see if he could find anyone who could help Cain. Conrad was there, standing with his back to them; he smiled. Conrad would be able to help him and Cain for sure! _

_ He called out, shouting to get Conrad’s attention and to try to get him to turn around so he could see what was wrong with Cain. Finally, after he didn’t even know how long, he got his and Cain’s big brother to turn around. There was kind of a weird look on his face, but that was probably just him worrying about what was happening to Cain. Cain was calling to him again, so he patted his younger twin’s cheek and tried to comfort him. Big brother would be there to help them soon, he thought, turning to look back over his shoulder again. _

_ Wait, what was Conrad doing with that spear? It looked like it was bigger than he was. He was getting closer now, though, so that was... wait, what was that armor he was wearing? It looked really scary. _

_ As Conrad, still wearing that scary-looking dark purple armor, walked slowly over to them, he shuddered and turned back to Cain. He had to get Cain loose; he didn’t know why Conrad was wearing that weird, scary-looking armor, but he didn’t like it. Still, maybe Conrad  _ would _be a better help to him and Cain while he was wearing that scary armor of his._

_ Looking up at Cain’s face as his younger twin gasped, he saw that Cain was staring at something behind them with a fixed expression of horror. Just as he was about to look over his shoulder to see what it was, he felt something sharp ram into his back. The sharp tip of what could only be that long spear that Conrad had been holding even before he had been covered in that weird, scary armor. _

_ He felt the blade splitting his spine, ripping its way through his guts, and stabbing right through his body and into Cain’s besides. His eyes locked with Cain’s as the two of them were pinned body-to-body by the spear that Conrad had stabbed them with. His younger twin looked so frightened. He tried to say something, wanting to comfort his younger twin; to just say  _ something _to make Cain stop looking so frightened._

_ When Conrad rammed the spear deeper into his body, he screamed... _

... and screamed, as he swung his teknolance down and through the armored body of a tank and the gunner inside it in one complete, fluid motion. Turning and twisting, following the line of the latest group of AEM tanks that had been sent out to fight him, Slade tore through them without even seeing them. Screaming in the grip of his waking nightmare, Slade ripped his way through them as flames and explosions followed in his wake.

When he left the line of devastated tanks and the strewn forms of barely-alive soldiers who had been fortunate enough to survive the attack that Slade had made on their unit, he didn’t hear one of the soldiers making his last transmission; he didn’t hear them reporting on what he’d just done.

11010010111

"Jamison!" Gault looked furious, looming over him and the other occupants of Comm. One from the large screen in the room. "What is going on out there?! Your Teknoman Slade has gone crazy!"

"Slade remained in his transformation mode for too long, General," he said, forcing himself to put aside the worry that he felt for both of the twins; this was bound to be hard on Saber, and Slade would doubtless feel remorse for what he had done once he had been returned to his proper mental state. "I warned you about this thirty-minute time limit some weeks ago."

"I don’t _care_ why it’s happening! You’re responsible for endangering the city!" Gault growled, seeming to be trying to gather his composure. "I don’t even understand why you’ve let things go _this_ far in the first place! The Teknoman Saber is still clearly in his right mind, so why haven’t you sent _him_ out to deal with the Teknoman Slade?"

"Slade and Saber are twins, General. Their combat capabilities have proven to be, while different, of equal power as far as we have been able to determine," he explained calmly. "Any engagement between the two of them would more than likely end in a stalemate. Aside from that, the damage that those two would likely inflict on the surrounding area while in combat would most likely be double that of what Slade himself is currently causing." Gault sat back in the seat that he had clearly just vacated, gritting his teeth in obvious displeasure. "You can be assured that all of the Space Knights are doing everything in our power to bring Slade back under control, General."

"Good," Gault said, though he didn’t sound particularly pleased; Jamison had honestly doubted that he would be. Gault was the kind of man who preferred a more direct approach, no matter what the ultimate cost turned out to be. "I’m giving _you_ the same thirty-minute time limit, Jamison."

"Half an hour?" he asked, prompting Gault to tell him more.

"That’s it, Jamison," Gault said. A topographical map was then projected on the main screen, with enough transparency that he could still Gault’s face as the other man spoke. "After that, we’ll deal with your Teknoman Slade _my_ way. We’ll have to; by that time, the city will be within rage of his weapons. We’ve warned the population to prepare for a total evacuation of the city, but it’s been rather chaotic dealing with the panicking civilians." Jamison nodded; he could well understand the kind of terror that would be felt by anyone who had to face the threat of a Teknoman, especially one who had been fighting for them. To anyone who didn’t know the true circumstances, it would seem like the worst kind of betrayal. "Once he reaches the urban area, the damage he could inflict is beyond calculation. We cannot allow your Teknoman Slade to get near the city, so the following is our fallback position: in this instance, if your team is unable, or rather _unwilling_ ," Jamison narrowed his eyes at that, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good to argue the point, so he said nothing. "To deal with the situation, my crew will handle things. We will be using a tactical nuclear warhead."

Gault’s image vanished from the main screen, and Jamison finally allowed himself to sigh; he had been expecting that something like this would be brought up, especially considering the fact that Gault had _always_ been one to advocate for drastic measures. At the same time, he himself was well aware of the fact that dealing with Slade as he was at the moment _was_ going to require the application of more drastic measures than the Space Knights had been wont to use in the past. He just hoped that it wouldn’t come to such an extreme as Gault seemed to expect.

He would have to contact his Ringo, Star, and Saber aboard the Blue Earth; best they knew what could be happening soon.

1110010011

He could practically _feel_ the tension in the air, crackling and vibrating like invisible guitar strings, and for a second or two he was tempted to crack a joke or something. Saber didn’t seem to be feeling up to par at the moment, which was pretty understandable given what was going on with his brother, and even _Star_ seemed to need a bit of cheering up. They both seemed to have picked up Slade’s brooding habit, which would have really been funny under other circumstances but right now only reminded him of how wrong everything seemed to be going right now.

The Commander’s voice on the comm. came as a great distraction from all the worrying they were doing, at least until what he was _saying_ actually had a chance to register.

"General Gault is going to do _what_?!" he demanded.

"He’s going to _tac-nuke_ my _brother_?!" Saber snarled, speaking almost at the same time, so their voices ended up having this weird kind of overlap thing.

"He can’t really mean it!" Star exclaimed; he knew from harsh experience that she was wrong, but now wasn’t really the time to get into that.

Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t entitled to express his concise opinion of AEM command in general and General Gault in particular. "Well, Gault is just a-"

"Ringo," the Commander said sternly; he dropped it. "Now, listen: if we can’t bring Slade back to normal within the next thirty minutes, move the Blue Earth to a safe altitude and wait."

" _What_?" Star exclaimed; hell even _he_ was surprised by how cold the Commander seemed to be right now. "What do you mean, move? No!" she shouted, as the familiar chirp sounded. "Don’t disconnect! Commander, wait!"

He almost expected Saber to say something about then, since it _was_ his brother out there and all, but the kid seemed to be closing himself off pretty well there. He was starting to act a bit too much like Slade for Ringo’s peace of mind at the moment. Sure, he was trying to be understanding here, but if he hadn’t been staring down at Slade’s red-on-white armor out of the windows of the Blue Earth’s cockpit he might just have started to think that it was really _Slade_ up here with them.

"We’ve got half-an-hour to save him," Star said, sounding like she’d managed to regain at least _some_ of her composure.

"Yeah?" he prompted, not wanting the silence to stretch too long. "Or what?"

"Or, we save ourselves when they drop the bomb."

Saber drew in a deep breath, like he was about to say something, but all the kid actually _did_ was sigh deeply. _C’mon, Saber, this isn’t anything like the snappy, sharp-tongued kid I know; at least say_ something _. I know you and Slade are twins, but you don’t have to_ act _like Slade, you know._ "Let’s do it, then," was all he said, in the end.

Guiding the Blue Earth back out over Slade, pacing him from high up and just a bit behind, he sighed. He didn’t know just what they were going to do to get through to the kid, but no one on Earth would be safe if they didn’t do _something_. Damned if _he_ knew what, though.

He just hoped that Star or Saber would have some kind of idea.

01001001001

"Slade!" she called down, amplifying her voice with the Blue Earth’s speakers as much as she could. "Slade, please listen! You’ve got to snap out of it! This is _not_ you! Listen to me!"

"It’s no good," Saber muttered, with another weary sigh. "I can’t get through to him, _you_ don’t seem to be able to get through to him," he slumped back into his seat, looking so much like Slade for a moment that Star felt her heart wrench, just a bit. "I don’t know what else we can do."

" _You’ve_ been calling out to him too, Saber?" she asked, splitting her attention between Slade and Saber for a moment.

"I’ve been trying," he said, turning a worn, bitter version of his usual smile on her. "But... it’s like trying to talk to someone on a radio that transmits in heavy static. I can’t get through it."

Suddenly, as if in answer to what his twin brother had just been saying, Slade’s large, armored form stopped dead in its tracks. Smiling as hope like she hadn’t felt since the beginning of this horrible night bloomed in her heart, she was just about to call out to Saber, when Slade turned and lunged up at them, his lance held high like he was fighting some Spider-crab.

"Brace yourselves!" Ringo shouted. "We’ve moving out of here!"

As she held tightly to the armrests of her chair, Star looked over at Saber, wanting to know how he was doing. Saber’s teknocrystal had appeared in his hand, but the way he was clutching at it, combined with the look on his face, suggested that the crystal itself was just there as some kind of comfort factor; like it was his lifeline in this crisis. Star wished for a moment that their seats were close enough that the two of them could hold hands; she was starting to feel the need for a lifeline, herself.

There was a new voice on the comm. then, telling Ringo that he had just entered a restricted zone. Ringo rebuffed them, strongly enough that Saber actually chuckled, and Star felt a bit of honest relief. If Saber could still laugh, then things weren’t quite so grim as they seemed.

"Not quite as colorful as I would have been," Saber said, and when she looked over at him again Star saw that his teknocrystal was gone again. "But you certainly got your point across."

"Yeah, well," Ringo said, obviously preening. "I figure it’s better not to get into the habit of telling military people to go perform various illegal, immoral, and probably physically impossible acts with various livestock. Just for the sake of interpersonal relations, you know?"

"You might actually have a point, there," Saber said, after what seemed like a moment of consideration. "You know, aside from the one at the top of your head."

Saber was grinning, and for a moment Star thought that he was feeling better, but then she caught a glimpse of his eyes. His blue eyes were haunted and dark, fixed on where his brother was standing. Slade was being pelted with shells from a relatively small group of tanks, his armored form shining in the harsh glare of the spotlights that had been fixed on him, but the shelling seemed to be meant more to keep Slade in place than anything else. To distract his attention so he didn’t just keep moving along his present course; the one that would take him into the city if they didn’t manage to stop him.

She wondered why he was heading back into the city in the first place. Was it just a coincidence, or did Slade somehow remember that she had asked him to come there with her not so very long ago? Either way, though, they couldn’t let Slade reach the city as he was right now; with the way he was acting, he’d probably think it was filled with Spider-crabs and destroy it.

"Time’s almost up," Ringo said, and Star clenched her hands on the armrests of her chair.

This _couldn’t_ be the end! Not after everything that they had all been through together. Not when she had just been starting to explore the feelings that Slade had stirred in her heart.

She could hear Saber muttering softly beside her, although whether he was cursing or praying she couldn’t tell; though it might easily have been both, given the circumstances.

1110101001

As he kept watch on his younger brother, skimming across the surface of Ness’ mind when he could, Spear sighed softly. He was still in his armor, knowing that the slight energy drain was a small price to pay for the emotional distance that the armor provided him with. Ness was all alone down there, and when he had skimmed the surface of Cain’s mind – a slightly more dangerous proposition, considering the fact that his other younger brother was fully conscious – he had found that Cain was half out of his mind with worry.

However, he had also found that Cain _did_ have an emotional attachment to the woman that he had seen in that spacecraft yesterday. He also seemed to have one to the pilot, but it was of a subtly different nature than the one he possessed with the woman. Spear _was_ curious about the nature of the bonds that his younger brothers had both likely formed with the humans in that craft, but as Ness’ mind was incapable of giving him the information he sought in its current state, and since Cain was likely to try blocking him out under the present circumstances, Spear was left with his curiousity.

Curiosity that would have to be set aside for the moment, of course.

_ [So, Spear, you mean to tell me that there may be someone of particular interest to us on that planet?] _

_ [So it would seem,] _ he said, folding his arms and forcing himself to relax a bit; he’d be no good to anyone if he allowed himself to become too tense. _[My younger brothers seem to have formed emotional bonds with one or two of the humans they have been working with.]_

_ [Understandable, I suppose, since they lack the support of their clan. Still, it will be rather inconvenient to deal with.] _

_ [Perhaps,]  _ he said, tilting his head slightly in thought. _[Still, the woman seems to care deeply for Cain. Perhaps she, at least, would be amenable to reason.]_

He hoped so, at least; he knew that Cain would never truly forgive him if he killed someone his younger brother cared for.

000100101

They were back on Slade’s tail again, and Saber seemed to be back to his old self, but he knew just as well as anyone that things weren’t nearly as hopeful as they looked. There was only a couple minutes or so on the big countdown; a couple minutes until they would have to break contact with Slade and leave the kid to fend for himself. _Leave him to get blown up by a tactical nuke, more like,_ Ringo thought, and shuddered briefly in sheer distaste.

He hated the thought of having to leave the kid to that kind of thing; hell, he was sure that Saber hated it, too, and that was probably why he wasn’t talking anymore.

"I’m afraid you’re out of time," the Commander said, appearing on the secondary comm. screen in front of him. "You have to leave, now."

"But, sir-!"

"Now, Star," the Commander said, sharply cutting her off; since Saber didn’t seem like he was going to say anything, Ringo decided to see if _he_ could do any good.

"Commander, look," he said. "We can’t just _leave_ Slade to that. Isn’t there some way we could delay that countdown? You _know_ what a tactical nuke is going to do."

He saw the Commander pause for a moment, like he was thinking heavily on something, but then he continued right on: "Yes. I’m well aware of what the weapon can do, but that is not your concern now. Now move out of the area."

That last was clearly one of the Commander’s orders, and Ringo had long since learned that there was only one response to one of those: "Aye, aye, sir," he said, in concert with Star.

Bringing the Blue Earth into a steep, fast ascent, Ringo soon had her out of the range of the nuke that Gault, high-strung, miserable bastard that he was, was about to drop on Slade. He didn’t know what was up with Saber at the moment, but Star was looking after him as best she could. That was really all he could ask for right now.

"Ringo, they’ve launched it," Star said, sounding stricken.

As the nuke arced through the air, following the trajectory that would land it on Slade’s head, Ringo closed his eyes briefly. He didn’t really want to watch this kind of thing happening to a friend, but it was also _because_ Slade was his friend that he felt compelled to watch this as it happened. He could see the nuke falling toward the ground now, losing sight of the thing as it passed through the cloud-layers, but even as he did he knew where it was going.

It was going to blow Slade to kingdom come, with the force of however many megatons it had been rated for.

"He’s gone, Ringo!" Star shouted, turning stricken eyes back toward him.

He was just about to say something to her, when _Saber_ of all people spoke up. "No, he’s not," the kid said softly, sounding as if he didn’t quite know how he felt about that.

Ringo could definitely relate.

"What do you mean-" Star began to ask, but then she fell silent.

Because right there, right through the cockpit windows, the haze from the explosion cleared and there Slade was, all in one piece. Sure, he was at the bottom of the largest impact crater that Ringo had ever seen up close, surrounded by fires, and molten rock, and with wisps of what looked like steam or smoke seeming to rise up from his armor; and oh, he was still completely whacked out of his gourd, but at least they still had a _chance_ to save him.

"He’s okay," Star breathed, sounding like she didn’t quite believe it.

"Yeah," Saber said, and he heard the kid chuckle; it wasn’t quite a happy sound, but then this wasn’t quite a happy time. "This armor, his and mine... I’m pretty sure we could fly through a solar-flare and not even notice."

"You know, kid," he said, circling over the new crater where Slade stood, motionless as an armored statue. "I think you just might be right about that."

01001001001

As he continued to oversee the events of this particularly eventful night from the relative safety of Comm. One, Jamison sighed soundlessly. It _had_ been something of a gamble, trusting in the strength of Slade’s armor to protect him from a nuclear explosion. However, with all of the studies he had made on both Slade and Saber’s armor and the powers that they possessed, he had felt that the risk was a calculated one.

He was pleased to know that he had come to the correct conclusion; to say nothing of the mental anguish that Saber would have suffered from the death of his brother, Slade was one of his Space Knights, and all of his Space Knights were ultimately under his protection.

"Good," he said, displaying his usual outward calmness. "Slade’s tekno-armor protected him, just as I thought it would. You’re still here, son," he said, speaking both to himself and to the young man on the other side of the screen. "There’s still hope."

However, he was forced to admit to himself that he didn’t know just _what_ hope they had. Slade’s defenses were all but impregnable to anyone but another Teknoman. He was also well aware that Saber would have his own set of difficulties if he was sent out to fight Slade; all of them related to _who_ Slade was rather than simply what. It was something that Jamison understood, and so he was not going to send Saber out to fight.

No matter _what_ Gault thought would be more expedient.

110101011

Seeing that Slade guy rampaging around, having obviously gone completely off the deep-end for whatever reason, Balzac knew that it would be up to him to report the circumstances of the kid’s condition. If _this_ was what happened if either of those freak-brothers stayed in their armored forms for too long, that made it all the more important that he get enough data to the AEM for them to start building replacements for them; no way in hell was he going to put his faith in those two when all it took for them to turn on their supposed allies was just over half-an-hour in those armored forms of theirs. Aside from that, their powers had obviously come from the Radam, no matter _how_ dead-set those two were about denying it.

Nothing that came from the Radam could ever really be trusted; he knew that now more than ever.

He’d have to begin making deeper forays into this Command Center that the Space Knights maintained; he needed to know everything that that Commander of theirs had found out about those freaks and their Radam-derived powers. Not only would it get him in good with General Gault, but it would also give him and Marlowe something else to talk about while they were renewing their old bonds.

He’d been trying not to think about his old friend while he was working so deeply undercover, trying to be the man in his I.D. rather than the man he really was; hell, that was the whole reason he’d grown the damn beard in the first place. He didn’t want to think about what Marlowe had been doing all the time he was gone, even if it _was_ probably just heading up his section of the R &D Division; he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he missed his old friend, even if he wasn’t going to actually _say_ anything. Not here, to these people, anyway.

Still, his plans for getting the information he needed would clearly have to be put on hold, at least for the night. He might not _need_ to know the rest of the story concerning those freak-brothers, but the General would prefer that he was as thorough as possible when making his next report. And, hell, _he_ wanted to see what the end of this story of theirs was ultimately going to be.

10100000101

_ He ran, over broken rocks and under a dark sky that seemed to actively  _ want _to press down and smother him, through a landscape that seemed to be tearing itself apart, he ran; turning to look back over his left shoulder, he saw that Conrad- no, the Radam Teknoman Spear, was still stalking him. No matter how fast he moved, no matter how far he ran, Spear always seemed to be right at his heels. It was like some kind of a nightmare!_

_ The armor seemed to fade for a few seconds, or maybe that was just him remembering what Conrad had been like before the Radam had turned him into one of their monsters; either way, he kept running. _

_ He turned to look ahead, and there, under the light of a red moon, stood three people that he was trying to recognize, even as he shouted desperately for them to run. Spear would kill them all, if he managed to reach... but, when the three of them turned to face him, they all faded away, replaced by three more of the Radam’s monsters. Leaping back, knowing that they would kill him even if Spear  _ didn’t _manage to get to him, he felt the ground crumble away beneath him._

_ Screaming, he was sure that he was going to end up falling to his death, since the only thing beneath him was hard, broken rocks that would shatter every bone in his body when he hit them. But he didn’t. Looking back up, having been paying more attention to the ground that he had been about to slam into, he saw that he’d actually managed to find the last of his family even in this horrible place. Shara and Cain were with him now; Shara holding his left hand, and Cain gripping his upper-right arm with enough force that that he would probably be sporting some bruises for it later; that was funny, really, if he tried hard enough to ignore the fact that he was hanging off of a brand-new cliff’s edge. _

_ Cain looked like he was trying to say something, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what it was. When Cain and Shara both started flickering, his twin brother and his sister both fading out in place of just two more of the Radam’s monsters, he thrashed. He wouldn’t be taken like this! _

_ Shouting denials in the face of the Radam Teknoman Dagger, he managed to get he- _ it _to let go of his arm. The Radam Teknoman named Saber was more persistent, his armored talons digging deeper as Saber held on just as tight as he ever had. Thinking of what Cain would have done in a situation like this, he lunged forward and bit the hand nearest to his head; it almost felt like he was sinking his teeth into yielding, human flesh, but that wasn’t possible. Teknoman Saber was covered in armor, just like Teknoman Dagger; there was_ nothing _human about either of them._

_ Screaming as he fell, still knowing that the fall on top of the rocks would kill him faster than those Radam Teknomen ever would but wanting to live all the same, he was surprised when all he felt was something slightly warm dripping on his face. Opening his eyes, he saw that Shara was sitting right there, right beside him as he lay flat on his back. When he managed to regain his bearings, he noticed that Cain was there, too. _

_ Cain had his head resting in Shara’s lap. It looked like his younger twin was napping, and he had to laugh; typical Cain. Shara told him to rest, and when he made a joke about Cain, his younger twin opened his right eye and stuck his tongue out slightly. He laughed, and Shara even giggled a little; he was happy that he could make his siblings laugh. _

_ Sitting up, he smiled at Shara and reached out to stroke Cain’s head the way he could remember both Dad and Cain doing for him at different times. Cain chuckled, and he felt his younger twin leaning into his hand a bit; he smiled. This was good; he wished this moment could last forever, just him, Shara, and Cain. _

_ Just then, Cain shoved Shara to the ground, covering her with his body. Cain fell into his lap, a thin, bleeding gash carved into his younger twin’s right side. The gash started halfway down Cain’s right side and ended just a couple inches above Cain’s knee and Cain was bleeding all over him and Spear was  _ right there _! Spear hovered above them all, the Radam Teknoman’s lancer coming back up in line to stab._

_ Before he could do anything, Cain threw himself forward again. Spear’s lancer plunged into Cain’s chest, slathering his legs with his younger twin’s blood as Cain was skewered by the tip of Spear’s lancer. He could hear Cain’s heavy breathing, and when Cain turned to look back at him, he could see blood dripping down his younger twin’s chin. _

_ Cain was talking to him now, smiling and asking him to protect Shara; he tried to remind Cain of their promise, but Cain just laughed and told him that he would have to make a new promise, then. Cain asked him again to protect Shara, since they couldn’t very well protect each other anymore; he tried to deny it, but Cain just laughed again, more weakly; typical Cain. _

_ Reaching out to cup Cain’s left cheek, he felt Cain leaning into his hand; and then he felt Cain’s body going limp and heavy as his younger twin bled out. Spear was gone now, but he had taken Cain with him; not the body, Cain’s body was still laying face-down, draped across his lower-legs, but everything that had made his younger twin the person that Cain had been, the person that he had loved for all his life, was gone. _

_ Pulling Shara close to him, he reached out to gently stroke the back of Cain’s head; he knew that it was a stupid thing to do, he knew that Cain wouldn’t be able to feel it, but it made  _ him _feel a bit better at least. Cain was gone now, but Shara was still with him. Shara was... Shara..._

0001001001

As she continued to watch, helpless to do anything but happy that Slade had managed to survive the missile that General Gault had launched at him, Tina clasped her hands and began to pray. She was still sitting next to the vase of flowers that she had set out on the control console; the scent of lilacs was still lingering in the air, even in spite of the fact that some of the flowers had started to fall. There were three of them lying next to the amaryllis petal that had fallen yesterday.

Just before she’d heard the news about what had happened to Slade, that’s when that petal had fallen; she hadn’t wanted to think too much about what it had meant at the time, but she knew now that it had been fate’s way of warning her about just what had happened.

"Sensors show unstable brainwave patterns, sir," one of the other technicians reported, reminding Tina that she wasn’t the only one worrying about Slade. "He just keeps repeating this name."

Listening to what Slade was saying for a few moments, long enough to hear the name that he kept repeating. "That name, Shara, where have I heard it before?" she muttered to herself, thinking hard; she could almost hear it... _You actually have the same face... Shara was our younger sister._ "Oh!"

"Tina? You know something?" Commander Jamison asked.

"That name Slade keeps saying, I know who it is," she said, turning her chair around so she could see him better. "They told me, Commander." She didn’t even wait for him to prompt her, she just told him: "She’s Slade and Saber’s younger sister, and, well Saber said I looked a lot like her. Slade agreed, too."

Commander Jamison actually took off those sunglasses he’d been wearing ever since they had gotten here for the night, then he went over to the comm. setup next to her. "Engineering? What’s the current status on the Teknobot?"

"We’re just finishing up the last of the repairs now, sir," Mac reported.

"The final re-fit checkout should be done in ten minutes, Commander," Maggie reported, seeming a bit more relaxed, with her arms folded behind her head and all.

Commander Jamison turned toward her, then, so serious and determined that she just knew he had something brilliant in mind. "Tina, I have a plan, but I am going to need your help. I want you to take a ship with the Teknobot in it, and I want you to go talk to Slade."

"Commander, you simply cannot put her in danger like that!" Ringo’s voice came in over the comm. before she could do much more than gasp about the responsibility that the Commander had placed on her. "Sir, you’re just-"

"Your Commander," Commander Jamison verbally steamrolled. "Making command decisions for the good of this project and this _planet_. Tina has just the same rights, and responsibilities, as any soldier," the Commander said; she shuddered, staring down at the three lilac blossoms that had fallen. It was like there was one for each of them; one for her, who sat in the Command Center worrying, one for Saber onboard the Blue Earth, and the last one for Slade. "This is a mission only _she_ can handle."

"Aren’t you going to _say_ anything about this, Saber?!" Ringo demanded.

Saber, who she could see had leaned his elbows on the console in front of him and had had his hands in front of his mouth, sat back up; that pose he’d been holding had made him look like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "It’s dangerous, but I think it just might work."

"I’ll go, Commander," she said, sitting up straight after having gathered up the lilac blossoms and tucked them safely away in her right pocket; one for her, one for Saber, and the last for Slade.

As Commander Jamison arranged for her transport, and she talked to him about what she would need to do to get through to Slade, she felt the Commander grip her right shoulder. It made her feel a lot more grown-up than she usually did, and so did the things that Commander Jamison was saying to her; they also made her acutely aware of just what she was going to be risking by going out there. She wouldn’t have anyone to protect her; even Saber would be far enough away that he wouldn’t be able to help her in time if Slade tried to attack her.

She didn’t really like thinking about that possibility, but it seemed like Slade couldn’t recognize _anyone_ ; she didn’t know what would happen if she couldn’t calm Slade down, but she also hoped she didn’t have to find out.

1101010011

Ringo was steadily cursing under his breath; Saber could hear it clearly, and he found it kind of morbidly funny. Ringo had certainly learned some interesting varieties of vulgarity during his tour of duty; some of them were even new to _him_ , even after all of the time he’d spent working with Dad and... other people. Looking down at the passing scenery in an effort to distract himself from thoughts he didn’t particularly want to entertain, Saber realized that he could recognize the place they were flying over.

"Across this bridge, and he’s in the city," Star said; Saber settled back into his seat with a weary sigh.

Now wasn’t the time to think about the good times that they had had not so long ago, it wasn’t even the time to think about what might happen when they all met up with Slade again; now was the time to _act_.

When Tina’s transport came up level with the Blue Earth, Saber waited for a few seconds to make sure that Star and Ringo were distracted enough that they wouldn’t notice what he was doing until he was nearly done with it, then he got out of his brother’s usual chair and made his way to the back of the ship; he was heading for the air lock. Ringo turned to look at him as he made his way out of the cockpit, and he winked in response to the other man’s question.

He wasn’t going to explain this; they would both try to stop him if he told them what he intended to do, and he wasn’t going to be stopped.

Making his way out to the secondary air lock, Saber opened the thing and stepped out onto the edge of the deck. He didn’t know how long he had, before the Blue Earth pulled away from Tina’s ship or someone noticed that he had the air lock doors open, so he moved quickly. Leaping from the Blue Earth’s air lock as the air lock of Tina’s ship came into rough alignment with them, Saber tucked his arms and legs in like a sky-diver to reduce air resistance.

He was glad that Tina’s transport was flying slightly lower than the Blue Earth, otherwise he would have had to transform to get to it, and Saber didn’t want to burn off any of the calories he’d taken in. Especially since he hadn’t had a good meal since he, Star, and Ringo had all started tailing Slade.

The wind whipped past his face, and Saber narrowed his eyes to keep them from watering too much. Grabbing onto the lip of the air lock doors on Tina’s ship, he was just about to try yanking them open when they slid neatly open on their own. Slipping inside quickly, he stepped out of the range of the doors and started trying to rub the feeling back into his hands. Cupping them against his mouth, Saber blew on them and then rubbed his hands together again.

He suspected that certain people would have some harsh words to say about what he’d just done, but he wasn’t about to let Tina go off to face Slade alone; not when he was in his current frame of mind.

"Hey," he said, smiling as he made his way into the cockpit with Tina.

"Hey, yourself," she said, laughing. "Ringo’s really mad at you, you know?"

"No; but I kinda suspected he would be," he said, settling into a chair on Tina’s right.

"Saber! That was possibly the most deranged, stupid, borderline-suicidal-" Ringo’s tirade was cut off in mid-yell as Saber hit the button that deactivated the radio-link.

"He can finish yelling at me when we get back to the Command Center," he said, in response to the look on Tina’s face.

She laughed. "Right," she sobered quickly, though, as their ship settled to the ground. "Come on," she said, and he let her take his left hand and lead him toward the ship’s air lock.

"Those are nice flowers you have there," he said, smiling as he saw the Amaryllis blossoms pinned to her shirt.

"Thanks," she said, looking down slightly, before she locked eyes with him. "I’m really glad you’re here, you know? I didn’t really want to do this alone."

"Happy to help," he said, smiling as she held up a sprig of lilac flowers and then gently pushed them between their clasped hands.

Slade had been moving forward all this time, and now the three of them were facing each other under the dark, rainy sky. A breeze tugged at his still-dry hair, and Saber quickly tucked the errant stands back behind his right ear. He could hear Tina talking, and her words vaguely registered to him, but most of his attention was taken up by the armored form of his older twin. He knew that he would have to be ready to react at a mo-

_ Oh, hell! _ Throwing himself forward, he shielded Tina with his own body as Slade rushed forward. His older twin’s armored hands wrapped tightly around his throat, and Saber darted a glance at Tina even as Slade yanked him up off the ground. She was okay, though she’d been knocked to her knees when he’d shoved her; better than the alternative, he was sure.

"Hey... brother," he said haltingly, Slade’s grip on his throat not quite tight enough to impair speech, though it was kind of a near thing. "I know... you haven’t really... been... having the greatest night... But... don’t you... think... you’re overreacting... just a bit?" he gagged as Slade growled. The pressure on his neck increased then, and Saber instinctively grabbed at the armored hands around his neck. "I... still love you... you know? You’re not alone." Forcing himself to let go of Slade’s hands, even as spots began to appear in the edges of his vision, Saber took as deep a breath as he could. "I’m here... I’ll always... be here."

Slade _hissed_ , and he could vaguely hear Tina shouting in the background, but his vision was starting to tunnel, and he only had enough air to say one last thing: "Sorry... brother... Looks like... I won’t be... able to keep our promise."

It felt like he was falling then; when his head landed in someone’s lap, Saber realized that Slade had actually let go. That was good. Staring up into the face of his rescuer, he used the last of his energy to smile gently up at them; he would have said something, but everything seemed so very, very far away right now...

0100010011

_ It couldn’t have been... I wouldn’t have done... That armored monster would have... _ As he fell out of Pegas’ interlock-chamber, not even bothering to catch himself, he heard someone come up behind him.

"Slade, you all right?" he heard Ringo ask.

No; nothing was all right, nothing was _ever_ going to be all right again. How could it be? He’d just tried to murder his younger brother with his own hands; that "armored monster" was _him_! "Saber," he managed to say, furiously blinking the tears out of his eyes.

"He’s fine," Tina said, smiling as she smoothed down Saber’s hair. "He’s still breathing, he just passed out."

"Good," he said, even as he wondered how Tina could trust him after what he’d just almost done; if Saber hadn’t been there to protect her... "No thanks to me," he growled, looking down at the ground between his hands. In this one instance, he was grateful for the rain; he couldn’t see his own tears through it. Lunging at Ringo, knowing then that there was another person who had to answer for the atrocity that had almost taken place today, Slade gathered his battered composure and forced himself to speak. "The Space Ring," he ground out. "I’ve got to get up there, right now! And you’re going to take me!"

"That’s nuts!" Ringo said; Slade gripped the man’s large collar tighter.

"Your body couldn’t handle another transformation so soon," Star said; he knew she was trying to be kind, but he could see what she couldn’t: he could see the way Saber just lay there, limp as the corpse he’d come so very close to being.

He wasn’t going to forget that; he _couldn’t_ forget that. "I’ve _got_ _to_ go!" he shouted. "I’ve _got_ to," he muttered.

"All right," Ringo said, though he didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic.

11110100111

His connection to his younger brothers’ minds, tenuous as it had been, was gone entirely now. Wondering for a moment just what had happened, since he had lost his connection to Cain’s mind rather violently, rather than having his younger brother begin to notice him and hence block him out. It had almost seemed as if... Spear dismissed that possibility out of hand, since Ness was not the type to murder his siblings; misguided he may have been, but his elder younger brother was no killer.

However, that still left him with the question of just what _had_ happened; he could no longer pull even vague impressions from Ness or Cain’s minds, which suggested that they were either fully aware of his presence, or that both of them had fallen unconscious.

When he began to sense Ness’ presence, growing stronger and more clear within his own mind even though he still remained unable to read his younger brother’s intention, Spear smiled slightly. It seemed as if the elder of his two wayward younger brothers had indeed decided to return to him. He wondered for a moment where Cain was, but then he realized that he and Ness would easily be able to return to Earth and retrieve the younger of his wayward brothers; as well as that woman that Cain seemed to be so enamored with.

However, when the space in front of him began to fill with brilliant, coruscating green light, the kind of light that could only be generated by a Tekno-bolt, Spear tensed. Surely Ness couldn’t mean to fire _that_ at- Spear’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the energies of his younger brother’s Tekno-bolt surrounded and nearly consumed him. Screaming in the wake of the heat and pressure of the attack that had been unleashed on him, Spear was left staring up at the fathomless depths of interstellar space directly above him.

_ Why, little brother? Why would you attack me like that? _ Spear wondered, his thoughts lost to the uncaring cosmos; he would have asked Ness directly, but his younger brother was still blocking him out. _What happened to you down on Earth, that you would attack your own family like this?_

00100100101

When Pegas released him for the second time, and he slumped, exhausted to the Blue Earth’s deck, Slade hoped for a moment that he would be too tired for dreams. He _knew_ what kind of dreams he would be having, after an experience like this, and while he knew that he would fully deserve each and every one of the nightmares that he was going to have, he didn’t want to break down in front of Ringo and Star. Star in particular; she’d never let him go until she knew everything he was feeling.

Even the things that could only be spoken about with family.

Closing his eyes for what only felt like a few seconds, Slade wasn’t surprised to find himself waking up in his bed, in his quarters. Rising, he shoved his feet into his boots, grabbed his vest, and made his way out of his quarters. He had to make at least _some_ form of amends for this, even though he knew that nothing would really be the same between him and Saber; even if his brother tried to act like everything was still just the way it had been, _he_ would still know what he’d done.

When he came to Saber’s quarters, Slade rang the chime, looked up and down the corridor to make sure that none of the other Space Knights were coming, and then dropped to his hands and knees. He hadn’t wanted anyone else to see him like this, but he _had_ to make things right with Saber. He had to.

The door slid open, and Slade took a deep breath. "I’m sorry... I’m so sorry for what I did today. I know that just saying this-"

Slade froze, feeling his younger twin’s arms wrapping around him. "I forgive you."

It was like all of the air had left his lungs when Saber said that; so when his younger twin kissed his right temple and began to guide him backwards into his room, Slade was too confused to offer any kind of resistance. How could Saber just _forgive_ him like this, after what he’d nearly done? He’d nearly _killed_ him, even after the two of them had promised that they would always protect each other!

When Saber sat down on his bed, Slade, overwhelmed by the sheer number of emotional shocks he’d been subject to during this long, horrible night, began at last to cry. Sobbing into his younger brother’s lap, Slade managed to gather himself enough to send one, last message: _[Just let me stay. Please Saber, just let me stay.]_

_ [Of course, brother,] _ Saber said, and Slade felt Saber’s hands on his head; his left just resting there, while his right combed through Slade’s hair. _[Of course you can stay.]_


	15. Spy Game

He'd been given his new orders: to report in to General Gault on a weekly basis, with any news that might help the AEM to build a case against Slade. Saber wasn't of such immediate interest to the General, at least insofar as building a court case against him; what the General wanted out of _that_ particular freak was the opportunity to take him into "protective custody", so his job from now on would be two-fold: find what he needed to get those two freak-brothers separated, and get Saber under the control of the AEM in general and General Gault in particular; and at the same time, find out just what it was that Jamison was hiding. He didn't think it was going to be particularly easy, since those two freaks were clearly determined to stick together, almost like they were trying to be a normal family.

 

After this, though, who knew; _any_ sensible person would know to be wary around someone who'd done their level best to kill him.

 

With that thought in mind, Balzac started getting ready for sleep. Tomorrow, after all, was going to be one hell of a busy day, he could just tell. As he settled down into his bed, Balzac made a mental note to make some time to talk with Saber; if he could separate those two freak-brothers, he'd have a much better chance of getting General Gault what he wanted.

 

And that would get him what _he_ wanted.

 

01000010001

 

As he came out of the grip of his latest nightmare, Slade held Saber tighter, burying his face in his younger twin's chest; listening to the reassuring, steady beating of Saber's heart, Slade tried to calm his own. It had been a nightmare, nothing more; just one more in a long sequence of them. It hadn’t been real; he wasn't a killer.

 

When he felt Saber begin to stroke his hair, Slade let himself relax.

 

_[Feeling better now, brother?]_

_[I am, a bit,]_ he said, settling into his younger brother’s touch. _[Just... don't stop, okay?]_

_[All right,]_ Saber said, and Slade felt more than heard his younger twin's chuckle.

 

 _[Thanks, Saber,]_ he said, looking out over his younger twin's left shoulder.

 

He could see the moon over Saber's left shoulder, and even though it wasn't full it still drew his attention. It was like some kind of a beacon, drawing his attention to it no matter how much he tried to avoid thinking about it; he didn't know why it drew him in the way it did, or why he wanted to avoid the sight of it at the same time. It was so confusing.

 

 _[Thinking deep thoughts, brother?]_ Saber asked, and he smiled slightly as he felt his younger twin's fingers running through his hair.

 

_[Not really. I was just... Do you ever just stop and look at the moon?]_

_[That's kind of a weird question,]_ Saber said, pulling back to look at him, bright blue eyes curious. _[And, no; I don't think I've ever just stared up at the moon. Why? Is there something interesting about it?]_

 

Slade could remember a time when his younger twin's eyes had been just the same shade of green as his; but that was a lifetime ago. _[It almost feels like there's something I_ should _know about it; something I'm missing.]_

_[You really think there's something_ that _important about the moon, brother?]_

_[I don't really know_ what _I feel when I look up at the moon, Saber,]_ he said, glancing back down at his younger twin before turning his gaze back to the waning moon. _[It's just... sometimes I feel like I_ have _to go out when I see the moon like this. There's... just something about it.]_

_[All right,]_ Saber said, a whimsical smile playing about his lips. _[Far be it from_ me _to try talking sense into you when you're determined to be weird.]_

 

As Saber hauled himself up and out of bed, Slade followed his brother with a weary smile on his face; his younger twin seemed to have recovered from the... events of yesterday, even if Slade wasn't about to let them go. He needed to remember what had happened, _needed_ to, so that he could make sure that it would never happen again. So that he could make sure that he protected his younger twin in the future.

 

He was the older brother, that was what he was _supposed_ to do.

 

As he met up with Saber on their way out of his younger twin's room, Slade wrapped both his arms around Saber's right arm. He was still a bit shaken up from his nightmare, and the closer he could get to Saber right now, the more he’d be able to reassure himself that it _was_ just a nightmare. He still needed that reassurance.

 

When they stepped out onto the balcony, one just like the one that he'd had just off of his quarters, too, Slade sighed. Looking up at the moon, Slade curled a bit more tightly against Saber's right side; his younger twin's body was radiating heat, and in the slight chill of the desert night without his vest or shirt on, Slade was grateful for it. The waning moon exerted just as much force on his mind as it seemed to when it was full.

 

He still didn't understand it, but that was the way it was.

 

00111101001

 

When Star came out of her quarters, padding out onto the balcony that was attached to all of the standard crew-quarters in her pajamas, she yawned deeply; she had already tried all of the ways to get herself to fall asleep that she could manage while she had been staying inside her quarters, and none of them had seemed to work at all. Now, though, standing and staring at the twins – well, at Saber, who was looking at someone on his right – Star realized that she hadn't been the only one unable to get to sleep at this hour.

 

Given the clear worry in Saber's body-language, and the way he was obviously keeping an eye on someone, Star would have been willing to bet at least a few weeks' pay that Slade was just out of her line of sight, perfectly hidden by his twin brother's body. She looked a bit closer, not wanting to intrude on what was clearly a private moment but curious to know if Slade was there all the same, and saw Slade's body just visible behind – or rather on the other side of – his brother.

 

Turning to head back into her quarters, knowing that the twins would appreciate the privacy, since that seemed to be what they had come outside for in the first place, she left as quietly as she'd come. Well, they would appreciate the privacy, and the chance to look up at the moon, she mused, making her way back into her room. Maybe she'd go have a cup of tea; that was supposed to help people get to sleep.

 

1010100011

 

His forays into the hidden places of the Space Knight Command Center were bearing fruit in spades now, Balzac mused, as he carefully pushed the safety grate on the maintenance-tunnel up and out of his way. He'd been discreetly tailing Jamison on the excursions that the Space Knights' Commander made on a bi-weekly basis; the man was good, he had to admit, following no set schedule that anyone less observant than him would have been able to discern. Still, there was no one better than him at tailing people.

 

He'd learned from the best in the AEM, after all; _no one_ could give _him_ the slip.

 

Watching as Jamison made his way into the elevator, Balzac climbed down onto the top of it and waited. He felt more than heard the large, hydraulic motors engaging, and he smirked slightly. _Right on time_.

 

As the elevator began to descend, he settled into his crouch to wait; he didn't know just how long the Space Knight Commander would be riding this elevator, there was no real way for him to know just how deep the secret storage area that Jamison was obviously maintaining was, but that was what _this_ trip was for. If Jamison was concealing something from his own Space Knights, then he would want to keep whatever it was deep enough within the base to be unnoticeable to them; somewhere that he thought only _he_ could get to.

 

Somewhere Jamison thought that his allegedly infallible security system would be able to protect it; somewhere he thought that all of his secrets would be safe.

 

Nothing was safe; not from someone who had the kind of training that he had, not when he was equipped with the best stealth and surveillance – not to mention counter-surveillance – technology that the Allied Earth Military could provide. He _was_ going to find out just what Jamison was determined to hide. And maybe even why he seemed to be so determined to hide it from his own people.

 

It seemed like something General Gault would do, but everything about the Space Knights' Commander suggested that he didn't approve of the General at all; Jamison wasn't the kind of man to keep secrets solely to preserve his own power; then again, every man had his vices.

 

When the elevator he was riding stopped suddenly, Balzac barely had time for a surprised blink, before he saw a clear, most likely Plexiglas-topped, tunnel extending from the elevator that Jamison had entered at the start of this little excursion. It was almost surprising for him at first, before he realized that this was most likely _why_ he thought no one would be able to find just whatever it was that he was keeping so secret from all of his people. He knew that Gault suspected what it was, and he was starting to agree completely.

 

No one would go to _these_ kinds of lengths unless they were protecting something incredibly sensitive, not to mention highly classified; Gault would _love_ getting his hands on _this_.

 

 _Clever, Jamison; I hadn't been expecting the second elevator,_ he mused, waiting until the Space Knights' Commander had entered the other elevator, before springing forward from his crouch to land on the other elevator. _Not quite clever enough to get away from me, I'm afraid. Though, I have to admit, this_ was _a good try._

 

As the second elevator slowly descended, carrying him deeper into the recesses of the Space Knights' Command Center, Balzac smiled; things were definitely getting interesting now.

 

Soon enough, this new elevator had stopped, he carefully pushed himself back up into a crouch and crawled over to the maintenance hatch in the elevator's ceiling. Opening it as quietly as he could, Balzac carefully peeked inside. After he'd searched the elevator as well as he could from his current position, he opened the hatch fully and stuck his head into the elevator car. Just as he'd suspected, Jamison was leaving the car and making his way down yet another corridor.

 

Dropping down into the car itself, just as Jamison was about to pass out of sight around a bend in the corridor, he quickly dodged out of sight behind the curved wall of the car. He knew that there was always a chance that Jamison would look back over his shoulder; admittedly there wasn't much of one, but Balzac hadn't gotten where he was today by being careless. And he wasn't about to start now.

 

 _It_ can't _be this easy,_ he mused, moving up to the absolute threshold of the elevator. _What's the catch, Jamison?_ Scanning the walls and ceiling for any signs of alarm-systems that might be triggered by something so simple as his walking out into the corridor, Balzac froze in his tracks. _Laser alarm, of course!_

Pulling his enhanced, multi-spectrum visor out of his equipment-belt, Balzac raised them to his eyes and took a long, good look. It _was_ an anti-personnel system, and a pretty airtight one from the looks of it. Still, there were always other ways to go about getting what you wanted out of life; this job was just going to be a bit more involved than most.

 

But, the more involved the job was, the greater the rewards would be.

 

Leaping back up into the elevator shaft, Balzac retrieved the small electromagnets that he had been provided with for just this kind of an occasion. Making his way back up the elevator shaft, Balzac carefully retraced his steps as well as he could considering his new location. As he climbed back up the shaft, Balzac considered how he was going to deal with that freak, Saber.

 

He'd have to be a bit leery around his brother, considering that he'd been nearly killed yesterday by that very same guy; he'd just have to use that to his advantage when he met with the kid during breakfast. Of course, he'd have to make some time for a nap before going off to breakfast, since he'd taken advantage of the so-late-it-was-actually-early hour of the morning to tail the Space Knights' Commander on his little excursion.

 

Still, he'd been checking his watch when he got the opportunity, so he knew that he had at least a few hours to get in some sleep before he'd have the chance to hunt down the little blue-eyed freak and get him to at least _start_ thinking about a change of venue. Who knew, the freak might even be willing to come back to AEM Command with him when he left this place tomorrow. Balzac had to swallow a chuckle at _that_ idea; it wasn't very likely, considering the fact that Saber had clearly signed up as a member of the Space Knights and that he seemed to have a lot of friends in the organization, but still, a man could dream.

 

Making his way back to his quarters, he went inside and settled himself down on the bed; not to sleep, of course, since there was still some work he had left to do, but just to have something soft to sit on while he was typing up his latest report.

 

"Looks like General Gault was right on the money," he muttered, talking just to hear his own voice, the way he usually did when he was alone on a particularly involved job. "Jamison _is_ hiding something; and not just from the Military, but from his own _team_. Which means that whatever his secret is, it must be highly-sensitive, classified information," he continued, even as he composed a message that, he thought, would be sure to bring the Radam, or at least their Spider-crabs, down in droves. "Once the aliens intercept this open-channel transmission, their attack will provide a diversion that'll give me all the time I need to find out what Jamison's hiding." He continued his work, adding just the thing that he'd noticed the Radam going for in the past. "Quadrant 48, Section A4; that'll do just fine, I think," he said, as the wifi-modem on his bed went to work transmitting the message he'd just whipped up.

 

Putting his computer away, after he'd carefully shut the computer down and stored all of its components, he sighed. "By tomorrow, I'm out of here," he said, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he stared up at the ceiling.

 

Sure, there were a few other things that he needed to take care of before he could finally leave this command center and all of its Space Knights behind, most of them relating to getting Jamison's secret, and seeing just how he could manage to get that Saber kid to at least consider going over to the AEM. Sure, he might've had friends in the Space Knights, but the kid had nearly been _killed_ yesterday. Something like that was bound to have an effect on a man.

 

No matter if they _were_ a freak.

 

Settling back into his bed, aiming to get what sleep he could while he could, Balzac removed his jacket and his boots, then did the same for his khaki pants, folding the jacket and setting it down on the nightstand on top of his computer. Then he flung the thin, white cover over his body and settled down onto the mattress. The thing was just about as comfortable as his old one back at AEM Command, but he'd never really had anything better, so he wasn't complaining.

 

1101010001

 

When morning rolled around, _without_ him having to use his infamous "Vulcan neck-pinch" to get Slade to go back to sleep after they had spent an indeterminate time just staring up at the moon the way that Slade had seemed to want them to do, Saber was pleased. He wasn't about to mention it to his brother, since it seemed to have fallen to him to be the sensible one when Slade was going off in his head, but the moon _had_ seemed to exert some sort of pull over him; a strange one, to be sure, since he'd also been a bit unnerved by the sight of the moon overhead, but a pull all the same. It was strange, but easy enough to avoid in the future.

 

He just wouldn't talk about it, that was all.

 

Slade was walking closer to him today, even closer than he had that first time that the two of them had faced Spear. Saber knew why, of course; the only real hitch was that his older twin seemed to shy away slightly whenever Saber tried to actually _touch_ him. He pretty much understood the reason for _that_ , too, and it made him entirely too eager to belt his bonehead of an older brother upside that thick skull of his; the only thing that kept Saber from acting on that urge was the bone-deep knowledge that it wouldn't do any good.

 

Some things needed a more delicate touch.

 

As the two of them continued on their way down to the cafeteria, with him greeting the people they knew, and Slade seeming to be doing his best to ignore the fact that there _was_ anyone else in the Command Center aside from the two of them, Saber sighed as they made it into the large, bustling room. This was going to get real annoying real quick; he could only hope that no one who _wasn't_ Slade was going to try his patience today. The way he was starting to feel, that would have... unpleasant consequences.

 

As they got their food, and Slade kept shooting him worried looks when he thought that he wouldn't be caught out at it, Saber tried to reign in his urge to smack Slade upside the head. It still wouldn't do any good, but the way he was feeling at the moment, Saber was starting not to care quite so much. He'd probably be stopping by the gym after breakfast to work off some of the tension that was starting to get to him.

 

He didn't know what _Slade_ would be doing with the rest of his day, the day that Saber was at least _hoping_ wouldn't be interrupted by a Radam attack, but at this point he was annoyed enough not to care.

 

When the two of them finished their meal, and he'd taken to kicking the table at odd intervals so he didn't end up kicking Slade when his moron of an older twin gave him yet another of those worried looks, Saber got up from the table with a deep, annoyed sigh.

 

"You know, brother, if you really wanted to be alone today, you _could_ have just told me," he said, shooting his moron of an older twin a Look.

 

"Saber, I... "

 

"I'm heading for the gym," he said, as Slade trailed off. "If you manage to get your head on straight again, you can come and join me."

 

Leaving once he was at least reasonably sure that Slade wasn't going to be saying anything else, Saber made his way out of the cafeteria after he had taken his dishes over to the counter so one of the staff could wash them. He wasn't going to worry about Slade, since his brother would either get over whatever it was that was bothering him or he wouldn't, but he did take one, last look over his shoulder at where his brother was sitting. Slade was _still_ sitting there, just staring down at his tray in a way that made Saber long to walk right back over there and slap some sense into him.

 

That wouldn't have helped anything, though, much as it would have broken the tension that was humming in Saber's nerves; besides, Slade's messed-up head was _his_ business, and maybe it was just best to give him some time to pull himself together.

 

Continuing on his way to the gym, still a bit tense from the morning's annoyances but with his usual good-humor beginning to reassert itself, Saber smiled slightly. He really should have expected something like this; Slade, spaz that he was, wasn't really the type to get over something like what had happened yesterday so quickly. Still, it was in the past, it had _happened_ ; sure, they were going to have to be sure to stay on their respective toes, to make sure that something like that didn't happen _again,_ but the only thing that Slade's being dull and broody was going to accomplish was getting him punched in the head when Saber's patience for it finally ran out.

 

"Hey, Saber," he heard someone call out.

 

"Yeah?" he answered easily, before he had completely noticed that it was Balzac. "What is it?" Sure, the man had been pretty quiet over the time he’d spent with the Space Knights, not pestering him and Slade for interviews; not after he'd gotten slapped, at least.

 

"I was just thinking; you had kind of a tough time yesterday, didn't you," the other man said, looking like he was about to reach out and clasp his shoulder; Saber gave him a Look and he pulled back.

 

He might have been willing to hear the man out, but that _didn't_ mean they were friends. "Yeah; I might have. What of it?"

 

"C'mon, Saber, you don't have to play tough with _me_ ," Balzac said, grinning at him in a way Saber didn't quite like. "All of the other Space Knights might be acting like nothing big happened yesterday; just sweeping it under the rug, and hoping that nothing else like this happens in the future. But you and I both know that nothing's really the same as it was."

 

"What do you mean by _that_?" he asked, not liking the implications of Balzac's words but wanting to give the man a chance to commit himself before he did anything.

 

"You can't expect me to believe you're _okay_ with what happened," Balzac said, turning a sidelong look on him as the two of them fell into step beside each other; or rather, as Balzac tagged along with him on his way to the gym. "In fact, I'd bet that you're sporting some pretty interesting bruises under that collar of yours."

 

Swatting the blond's hand away as he made a grab for said collar, Saber glared. "That's _my_ business."

 

"Seems you're a little touchy about what almost happened back there," Balzac said, sounding like he was smirking; Saber tried all the harder to ignore him. "Still, I can't really say I blame you," the man said, clearly trying to sound like a friend; Saber wasn't buying it. "After all, your own brother tried to murder you yesterday. That's going to have a profound effect on a man."

 

"Is there a _point_ to all of this?" he asked, giving Balzac a sidelong, slightly annoyed glance.

 

"I just wanted you to know that, if you ever want to get away from these people, or at least from your unstable brother, you can always come to AEM Command with me," he could see the look on Balzac's face, and he didn't like it one bit. "After all, _they_ wouldn't let someone as clearly unstable as your brother out of sight. Not like the Space Knights seem so willing to do."

 

"Would you mind repeating that last part?” he asked, in the clipped tone that would have let anyone who knew him know that he was severely annoyed with the person that he was talking to; too bad for Balzac that _he_ didn't know that.

 

"I'm sure you know how General Gault takes his responsibility to defend the Earth seriously," Balzac said; Saber bit back one of the many, _many_ sarcastic remarks he could have made in response to _that_ little assertion. "But, he also takes his responsibility to take care of his people seriously. He’d _never_ let your deranged brother out of his sight after the stunt he pulled yesterday."

 

"Yes, that's what I _thought_ you said," he answered, his tone flat and almost excessively pleasant; anyone else would have probably _expected_ the punch that slammed Balzac's head into the wall opposite where they had both been standing.

 

As the blond crumpled to the ground, covering the eye that Saber had just punched him in, Saber himself turned and started for the gym again. With any luck, he wouldn't encounter the annoying blond for the rest of the day.

 

010010010

 

As he sat there, hand over his right eye, watching as that blue-eyed freak walked calmly away, Balzac smirked slightly. _Well, I guess you’re tougher than I thought, Saber._ Either that, or the little freak was stuck more deeply under his older brother’s thumb than he’d first thought; he pretty much doubted that, though. Whatever else you could say about that blue-eyed freak, he was stubborn as all hell when he wanted to be.

 

Hauling himself back to his feet, Balzac made his way back to the room that Jamison had assigned him for the duration of his stay at the Space Knights’ Command Center. He was going to be sporting one hell of a shiner later, but since he could afford some downtime before he made his announcement to the main corps of the Space Knights themselves, he wasn’t too worried about it. As he continued on his way down the corridors between the place he’d met up with Saber and the room he was going to be vacating soon, Balzac smirked slightly.

 

He hadn’t honestly been expecting the freak to just break off from the Space Knights, cut ties with his brother, and leave the place where he’d been staying these past months all in one day; it would’ve been one hell of a coup, though.

 

Once he was back in the room he’d been given, Balzac got out some supplies to tend to his eye. He hadn’t figured on needing to actually _use_ the med-kit he’d found in the attached bathroom, but then again he also hadn’t expected to end up getting punched in the head. At least, not when he wasn’t actively fighting.

 

Tending to his bruised eye, Balzac laughed softly; whatever else you could say about what had happened today, it was one hell of a send-off.

 

0101000101

 

Within Darkon’s vessel, inside the teknopod that had captured her so long ago - snapping her up like her little brother with a cream puff - Katherine Wallace tried to hold herself together. Thinking of her younger brother helped, but only a bit since Fritz had lost himself to the Radam a long time ago. He’d been killed by Ness, and while she was grateful to her friend for freeing her younger brother from the Radam, Katherine couldn’t help but wish that there had been someone to free _her_. She’d sensed Conrad sometimes, coming and going within the vessel; but it hadn’t really been _Conrad_ that she’d sensed.

 

Conrad Carter was human; he hadn’t been telepathic, and he most certainly hadn’t been serving an evil overlord who was bent on conquering the Earth and enslaving all of her people to serve the Radam and their Empire. Katherine almost wished that she had been one of the ones killed during some stage of the Teknoprocess; her little brother was dead, her fiancé might as well be, and she herself was slowly losing her mind.

 

Her eyes were already closed, and had been for an interminably long time, or else she would have closed them now. She didn’t quite know where she was within the ship, nor did she particularly care, but it _would_ have been nice to have something to focus on. Something that she could use to focus on in an effort to hold her mind together as the Radam influence tried to wear away at it.

 

She wasn’t Teknoman Sword, she was never going to _be_ Teknoman Sword; Sword was the name of a slave, one of the Radam’s weapons, to be used in their endless effort to subjugate every other species in the galaxy.

 

Still, Katherine didn’t know just how long she was going to be able to hold herself together in this constant sensory-deprivation she was being subject to. She also had no idea how many of the others were still themselves. Her mind was still human, even in spite of all the ways that Darkon was trying to change it, and she wasn’t going to start using powers that no human being had ever had.

 

That would be the first step toward losing herself entirely, Katherine knew.

 

11010100111

 

Twitching inside the teknopod, trying to keep at least _some_ awareness of his body, Shinji Mabashi breathed deeply in and out; Mr. Goddard had implied that that kind of thing was important when you were trying to meditate, and that meditation was good for keeping one’s thoughts in order. Shinji didn’t know if that kind of stuff was meant to work in _these_ conditions: when you were a captive inside an alien ship, being turned into a living weapon to be set loose on your own planet, but he was still going to _try_ to hang on. It was really the only thing he _could_ do, under the circumstances.

 

Even if he _was_ essentially trapped in the teknopod, with the Radam picking away at his mind, intending to turn him into Teknoman Lance, he could at least delay them somewhat. He knew that the others would be doing just the same. The ones who’d managed to survive the initial horrors of the transformation process, at least.

 

Shinji just wished sometimes that _he_ hadn’t been one of them.

 

0010010001

 

It was finally time; he’d packed up his few belongings, gotten his reports in order, and sent out the message that would bring the Radam down in droves so that he would have the time he needed to investigate that secret room that Jamison had been hiding for who knew how long after those two freak-brothers had shown up. He’d be able to leave after he took care of the few things keeping him here. He’d have to let the Space Knights know that he was going, of course, just so they didn’t get the idea that _he_ was somehow responsible for what was about to happen, not that he really expected any of them to; some of them still might not have liked him, but he didn’t think any of them would suspect him of being a spy. Not even Jamison seemed to have picked up on his activities, and he was the one that Balzac had been concerned about the most.

 

His eye had healed up well enough that anyone who didn’t know he’d been punched in the first place wasn’t likely to notice the bruising at all. So, no one but him and that blue-eyed freak, Saber, were going to be aware of it. _He_ certainly wasn’t about to tell anyone.

 

Leaving the assigned room, picking up his small duffle so he could take it back out to his car, Balzac slung the strap over his left shoulder and continued on his way out into the corridor. Someone was bound to notice, and he was already cooking up a story. It was a simple one, of course, nothing that any of them would really be inclined to look _too_ deeply into, but a few of the main corps would probably object just on general principle.

 

Tina and Maggie, to be precise.

 

As he continued on his way, greeting the other members of the Space Knights as he ran across them – the ones that General Gault hadn’t been interested in, and hence neither had he – Balzac wondered for a moment if he was actually going to make it out to his Jeep _without_ running into any of the main corps of the Space Knights. That could have both good and bad repercussions; good insofar as he would have extra time to get himself settled for moving back into his own quarters, bad because it might make some of the more suspicious people curious about the Radam attack that was going to happen later.

 

“Hey, Balzac! What’s that bag you’ve got there?” he looked down slightly, grinning when he saw Tina tagging along with him. _Perfect_. “I hope you’re not trying to steal any towels.”

 

He laughed. “No, I have my own towels back at HQ. That’s where I’m going to be heading tomorrow, in fact. This is all of the things I brought with me, plus the information I collected for my article while I was staying with all of you.”

 

“You mean you’re packing up to leave?” Tina asked, looking at him with an expression he took to be slightly reproving; he ignored it.

 

“Yeah,” he said, reaching down to ruffle her hair a bit. “I’m going to head out to my Jeep now to pack up. I’ll see you when I get back?”

 

“Yeah,” Tina said, looking like the idea he’d planted in her head had taken root pretty nicely.

 

“All right, then,” he said, making his way past her.

 

It probably wouldn’t take Tina all that long to tell the other members of the Space Knights’ main corps, and then he’d be able to take care of that last, little thing that he wanted to get done.

 

Making his way out of this sub-section of the Space Knights’ Command Center, Balzac quickly found his Jeep and tossed his duffel lightly inside. There was nothing _particularly_ delicate inside it, and he’d made sure to pack the thing well enough that it could take a bit of rough handling. Tucking his hands into his pockets, Balzac fiddled with his keys a bit as he turned and made his way back into the Space Knights’ Command Center.

 

When he made it back to the place where he’d left Tina, he found that, just like he’d been expecting, a good number of the Space Knights’ main corps were looking for him now.

 

“Come on, lad,” Mac said, grabbing his left arm and gently pulling him along; he wondered for a few seconds just where they were going, but he’d find out soon enough. “You’ve got a bit of explaining to do.”

 

“I’d wager you’re right, Mac,” he said, grinning slightly. “Can’t just leave without explaining myself, now can I?”

 

“Now you’re getting it.”

 

Chuckling deep in his throat, as he let Mac lead the way toward wherever it was that the Space Knights’ main corps was planning to meet him for their little chat, Balzac worked up his façade again. Not that he’d ever really dropped it, not while he was _here_ of all places, but he just settled a bit more into the role. It never hurt to make things look as natural as possible.

 

When Mac finally let him go, Balzac took a look around. Surprisingly enough, he found himself standing on the catwalk overlooking the repair bay. If there was one place that he wouldn’t have been expecting an interview, it would have been this place right here.

 

Still, there were chairs set up in a little circle, and there was a clear space obviously meant for him, so he settled himself down in this odd little meeting place.

 

“So, you’re leaving tomorrow?” Maggie asked, clearly wanting to hear it from _him_ rather than just second-hand. “But, why? You just got here a few days ago.”

 

“I’ve finished my article about the Space Knights, and I’m being sent on another assignment,” he lied.

 

“And I was just getting used to having you around,” Maggie said. “Couldn’t you stay a little while longer?”

 

“Hey, if it were up to me, I’d _love_ to,” he lied. “But, when you’re in the Army, you’ve got to follow orders.” He took a bag out from under his left arm, setting it in his lap. “Oh, before I go, I wanted to give you these photos,” he said, trying to sound like it was just generosity on his part that had persuaded him to do it. It wasn’t like he, or anyone else, had a real use for these things, though. “Nice, huh?”

 

“I think they’re just great!” Tina exclaimed. “Thank you, Balzac.”

 

He smiled a bit at her enthusiasm; kinda like the kid sister he’d never had. Kids like her made the perfect cover-story just that much more airtight. He wasn’t going to say anything, of course, but he _would_ kind of miss the kid.

 

“You’re right,” Mac added, and even if he hadn’t been able to see the man’s face, Balzac would have known that he was grinning. “These pictures are terrific! I almost look sort of handsome in this one, don’t you think?”

 

“It’s a shame you have to leave,” Maggie said, looking genuinely disappointed about the idea; Balzac felt yet another swell of pride in his abilities. “I wanted _you_ to be the one to take the pictures for my autobiography.”

 

“I would have liked that,” he said, lying through his teeth again; he might have been willing to take the photographs necessary to get his job done, but that didn’t mean that he was going to take up photography as a hobby. He had much better, more interesting things to do with his time.

 

“Now, don’t you worry, lass,” Mac said, looking over at her with a conciliatory expression on his face. “ _I’ll_ take them.”

 

“Thanks, Mac, but a work of _this_ stature needs the professional touch,” Maggie said, settling back into her seat with what Balzac thought was an exaggerated expression of discontent. “No offense intended.”

 

“Let me know when the paperback comes out,” Mac said, sounding like he was teasing the redhead.

 

“Very funny,” she deadpanned.

 

“Hey, guys, what’s the news? I hope it’s good, for a change.” When he heard that voice, it was all Balzac could do not to smirk openly; seemed like the gang was all here, now.

 

“Just the opposite,” Tina said, in response to Ringo’s half statement, half question. “Balzac’s leaving.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah, ‘fraid so,” he said, putting on an appropriate expression. “First thing tomorrow.”

 

“So, your article is finally finished, huh?”

 

“Yes. And, thank you for all your cooperation,” he said, grinning to put these four Space Knights – two of them in particular – at ease. _Especially you two, boys._

 

“You know, I don’t think you took a single picture of either Slade _or_ Saber,” Maggie piped up, drawing his attention back to her. “Why not take a few, before you leave?” he looked back at her, and saw that she was looking directly at the freak-brothers. “Just think of how great it would make your family feel to see a photograph of their sons as _Space Knights_.”

 

Whatever effect he’d been expecting that line to have on those two freak-brothers, it _definitely_ hadn’t been the one he was witnessing: Slade seemed to freeze for a moment, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

 

“Family?” the freak repeated, something in his eyes that Balzac couldn’t readily identify; he didn’t get much of a chance, though, since Slade turned and left without another word.

 

Saber winced. “Bad topic,” he said, before turning on his heel and quickly following his brother.

 

The whole sequence couldn’t have taken more than half a minute; and if _that_ kind of behaviour didn’t just _scream_ “secrets here; investigate now” he’d _eat_ the damn beard after he’d finished shaving it. Tracking the freak-brothers before they could get too far ahead of him, not paying much mind to what the rest of the Space Knights’ main corps were saying, he stayed just far enough out of their range that they wouldn’t be likely to hear him, while at the same time being careful to keep the both of them in sight.

 

Neither of them seemed to have any particular destination in mind, so he wasn’t surprised when they stopped at the first open, unenclosed space that they found. Finding himself standing out in the open air, Balzac looked around for a few moments, before turning his attention back to the freak-brothers. They were all standing on a high, steel plateau, and those two were staring out into the canyon, just in front of the railing.

 

The two of them had their backs to him, but the subtle differences in their hairstyles let him tell them apart: Saber’s right arm was wrapped around Slade’s waist, Slade’s left arm was wrapped around Saber’s shoulders, and both of them had their heads leaning against the other’s. Although, given the way that Slade’s head was neatly tucked into the crook of Saber’s neck, it seemed that their little family dynamic was just a bit different than what he’d been expecting.

 

From all that he’d seen, Slade had seemed to be the big talker; but it looked like _Saber_ was the man behind the man, so to speak. That was an interesting angle to consider. It might just mean that breaking those two freaks up could actually have some side-benefits to it.

 

Moving forward, Balzac wasn’t surprised to see those two snap right back into their usual, stoic roles; they’d have probably done just the same for anyone else who’d come out to see them at this kind of a moment.

 

“Well?” Slade growled.

 

“Take it easy, Slade,” he said, smiling in an effort to put the freaks at ease; probably a futile gesture, but whatever. “I just wanted to ask you boys a few questions, that’s all.”

 

“What do you want to know?” Slade demanded.

 

“I’m just curious about how those powers of yours work, that’s all,” he said, coming out to join them at the railing. He moved to stand next to Slade, since being punched in the face _once_ today had been more than enough for his taste, thank you very much. “For instance, what’s that armor of yours made of?”

 

“Some kind of crystal-lattice structure,” Saber said, drawing Balzac’s attention. “It’s incredibly durable.”

 

 _Yeah, I’ll say,_ he mused, thinking back on the tactical-nuke that Slade had shrugged off just yesterday. “So, you can stay in these armored forms of yours indefinitely? It almost seems like a waste of time, switching back and forth the way you boys keep doing.”

 

“No,” Slade said, flashing him an icy look from those green eyes of his. “Neither Saber nor I can stay in Teknoman form for more than thirty minutes.”

 

“Really? You mean that after thirty minutes as a Teknoman, you and Saber _have_ to change back?” he asked, putting what he hoped was just the right amount of shock and curiosity into his tone; Saber was giving him a harsh stare from over his brother’s left shoulder, but he didn’t think that either of them particularly suspected anything. “What if we could make one with no time-limit?”

 

“What?” both of them exclaimed, Slade looking to look over at Saber; the other freak shrugged. “ _Make_ a Teknoman?” Slade asked finally, his level gaze almost hiding his curiosity. Saber didn’t even bother with the pretence.

 

“Not exactly,” he elucidated. “A Tekno-suit would be self-contained, high-density mobile armor. Equipped with anti-matter weaponry, and an onboard navigation system.”

 

“Oh, really?” Slade asked, standing upright and turning around. Slade didn’t sound particularly interested, but then that pretty much figured; they _were_ talking about the thing that would make him and his freak of a twin brother obsolete, after all.

 

“You interested?” he asked, folding his arms over the railing as he leaned out over the canyon; Saber, who’d turned so that he had the railing at his back and rested his elbows on it, gave him a long, considering stare.

 

“Why, when it’s impossible,” Slade stated; Balzac found it kind of funny how Slade was the last one of them to actually remain standing upright: Saber was leaning back against the railing, and now _he_ was leaning forward over it.

 

It was funny, especially given that they were all looking in the same general direction.

 

“If we knew the power-source of your Tekno-system, we could do it _now_ ,” he said, staring out over the canyon that the various portions of the Space Knights’ Command Center had been built on. “But you boys are the only ones who know how to _use_ that power, so if anything happens to the two of you and we lose both Teknomen, we wouldn’t have a _chance_ of winning this war.”

 

“I expect there’s a _point_ to all of this,” Saber drawled, sounding fairly annoyed. “So why don’t you make it _before_ we all die of boredom?”

 

He laughed. “You know, that’s the one thing I like most about you, Saber: you never pull your punches.” He even meant that. For a freak, Saber wasn’t half bad; he’d have fit right in with their little gang back in the slums. He didn’t know if Marlowe would feel the same way, but it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that they would meet. Marlowe would insist on being there to test the fruits of his labor, naturally. “Now, suppose the Tekno-suit I’ve been telling you two about was a reality; that somebody had actually discovered a method of constructing one, then decided to keep it a secret instead of sharing it with the world?”

 

“What’re you getting at?” Slade demanded.

 

Just then, the base-wide alarms went off. _Right on schedule,_ he mused, as both of the freak-brothers snapped to attention. Saber muttered a word that he hadn’t suspected any of the Space Knights even _knew_ ; the little freak would have definitely fit in down in the slums. Too bad they hadn’t met sooner.

 

“You’d think he was right, and we all know why,” he said, unable to stop himself from smirking ever so slightly at Slade; while Saber might have been all right, considering what he was, Slade was a different story. “But we’ll have to discuss _that_ later, won’t we?” he jerked his thumb back over his right shoulder, in the general direction of the Radam’s latest landing-site.

 

Just as the two freak-brothers had turned to go, but before they were out of hearing-range, he called out: “Hey Slade, I meant to ask you: what happens after half an hour?”

 

If looks could have killed, the one Saber gave him would have splattered his corpse all over the artificial plateau, probably leaving chunks of him dripping down into the canyon below them. It didn’t last long, though; Saber grabbed of his brother’s vest by the shoulder, and the two of them hightailed it back into the Space Knights’ Command Center like a pair of racing greyhounds.

 

“Well, the aliens attacked right on schedule,” he said, looking over to the trio of vultures that had been circling in the sky while he and the freak-brothers had been talking. “Now I’ll go find out what Jamison is hiding.”

 

11101001010

 

As the two of them ran back into the Command Center, Slade tried his hardest not to think about what Balzac had last said to him. He couldn’t have known what had happened yesterday, what had been tormenting him for just over this entire day; what he was going to do everything in his power to prevent from _ever_ happening again. A sudden, sharp pain in his head caused Slade to look over at Saber.

 

“Mind in the moment, big brother,” Saber said, a slight tightness in his younger twin’s voice giving the only clue about Saber’s mental state; his younger twin was obviously annoyed.

 

“Sorry,” he said, making more of an effort to control himself; even if he _couldn’t_ get over this kind of thing quickly, he had to at least hide it better.

 

Bypassing Comm. One, since it was obvious that they didn’t have the time for one of Commander Jamison’s briefings and because it was even more obvious what the Radam were doing, he and Saber headed for the Blue Earth’s hangar at their top running-speed. Meeting up with Star and Ringo on the way there, both he and Saber passed them by fairly quickly on their way to the Blue Earth itself. Dashing through the body of the ship, Slade grabbed one of the ration-boxes that had been stored in the aft-section for them and saw Saber grabbing the other one out of the corner of his eye.

 

The two of them quickly settled down into their respective seats, and Slade dug into the rations as he waited for Star and Ringo to catch up to them. He didn’t have to wait very long, since his two fellow Space Knights had been running just the same way he and Saber had.

 

“Glad to see you kids made it here in time,” Ringo said, and Slade looked back to see him just settling into his seat behind the Blue Earth’s piloting console.

 

“Oh, Ringo,” he heard Saber say airily. “You know we couldn’t let you two have _all_ the fun.”

 

He wondered for a few moments if his younger twin was really as calm about this latest mission of theirs as he was trying to seem; Saber had nearly been _killed_ yesterday, and now here he was joking around with Ringo like everything was normal again. It didn’t make sense to him, but then Saber – even back when he’d just been Cain Carter – _had_ always seemed to be... stronger than he was, that way.

 

The powerful rumbling of the Blue Earth’s engines served to focus Slade’s mind on what they were heading into. The Radam were attacking again, and Slade wondered for a long moment just what they could be planning _now_. With the attack on the power plant, he’d at least known in a general sense what they’d been up to; even if Spear _had_ managed to turn it all against him in the end, he’d at least had an _idea_ of what he and Saber were facing.

 

This time, though, he didn’t have a clue; Slade was flying blind, and he hated it.

 

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Star said, sounding just as confused as Slade felt. “Quadrant 48, Section A4 is of no military value, and of no strategic importance! So why would the aliens chose _that_ place to attack?”

 

“I don’t have a clue, but those kids sitting there next to you know better than anyone,” Ringo said. “Either of you boys willing to fill us in?”

 

“Why do you always think that _we_ know something about the Radam’s activities that you don’t?” Saber asked, sounding irritated; Slade could sympathize. “Telepathy notwithstanding, neither of us is particularly psychic. What, you think I have heretofore unknown powers of clairvoyance, Ringo?”

 

That was supposed to be funny, Slade thought; it sounded like the tone Saber used when he was telling one of their private jokes, but at the moment Slade was focusing too much on the Radam to think about anything else.

 

“He just might,” Slade muttered, looking out the cockpit windows so that he could spot any Spider-crabs before they had a chance to threaten the Blue Earth.

 

“Space Knights, your mission is to confront the enemy and repel their attack,” Commander Jamison said, speaking to them over the comm., since they’d gone directly to the Blue Earth instead of making a stop in Comm. One the way they usually did. “But be careful out there. And Slade, you and Saber remember your respective time limits. Slade, if you remain in your Teknoman form for more than thirty minutes, you’ll be a danger to your team-mates, and to the Earth. And Saber, if _you_ overstay your own limit of twenty-five minutes in Teknoman form, you’ll be helpless against any remaining enemy forces. So, if either of you even come _close_ to exceeding your respective time limits, disengage and return to the ship as fast as you can. Good luck, Space Knights, and good hunting.”

 

“Sir!” everyone in the Blue Earth acknowledged; Slade knew better than anyone just what kind of horrible things would happen if he allowed himself to overstay his time limit.

 

“Don’t worry, Slade, I’m sure that if you stay out there too long, Saber’s going to haul your butt back to the Blue Earth before you can blink twice,” Ringo said, then he chuckled. “And, even if he doesn’t, if you’ve reached your limit before you can get back here, I’ll use every laser the Blue Earth’s got to turn you into space dust. So don’t worry.”

 

“Yeah, good luck with that one, Ringo,” Saber said, his tone dry as desert dust.

 

As they continued on their way, Slade couldn’t help but wonder just what he and Saber were going to have to face this time; what they would have to do to survive.

 

0100100011

 

Making his way through the corridors of the Space Knights’ Command Center, knowing that every one of the main corps would be distracted by that Radam attack that he had just arranged for, Balzac greeted the few people that he passed on his way down to the elevator. It would have seemed strange for him not to, and even with his departure immanent, he wasn’t going to let up on the cover that had served him so well.

 

Finally inside the elevator, he hit the “down” button and waited. He’d counted the floors that Jamison had gone down when the Space Knights’ commander had made his own descent, so as he watched the floor-indicator count upward. When the elevator reached the eighth level of the Command Center’s clearly extensive sub-basement, Balzac pressed the stop button on the elevator’s control pad; not the emergency-stop, since that would have alerted technicians and repair crew all over the base about what he was doing, but the dull green button just under the “down” button.

 

Once the elevator was stopped on the eighth sub-basement level, he took out a small, flat-head screwdriver and his mini-computer. Using the screwdriver, he removed the cover-plate from the floor-indicator; underneath was a blank length of composite metal, but with scuff-marks indicating that it wasn’t the only thing to be hidden back there. _Just like I thought: a set of hidden controls, just out of sight. Clever, Jamison._

 

He could almost respect a man who was willing to go this far to protect his own investments; this mission wasn’t about _respect_ , though. And besides, this was probably his ticket out of the Space Knights’ Command Center. No matter _how_ much Jamison’s dedication to preserving his own secrets, and hence his own power, impressed him he’d had more than his fill of the Space Knights.

 

Setting the detached cover-plate atop his mini-computer, Balzac detached a pair of datataps from the top right side of his mini-computer, and tucked his screwdriver back into his pocket. Plugging them into the newly-revealed keypad, he booted-up the program that he and Marlowe had designed together. Well, Marlowe had been the one to actually get the program to _work_ ; he’d just been the idea-guy, and the one responsible for fetching coffee and sugary treats when his old friend had wanted them. It was one of the things that came of not being a genius.

 

Once the program was up and running, trying tens of thousands of different random-number combinations a second, all Balzac had to do was wait for it to discover the exact sequence of numbers that Jamison had used to call that other elevator that he’d used. He didn’t have all _that_ long to wait, fortunately. Entering the code into the now-revealed keypad, Balzac watched as the elevator’s doors opened.

 

Whistling softly as the same Plexiglas-and-steel tunnel that he’d seen just this morning extended out from the other elevator to meet him, Balzac put away his mini-computer and made his way down the tunnel. It was time to find out just what it was that Jamison had been keeping secret from everyone for so long.

 

1110100100

 

The Blue Earth swooped in, thrusters powering it ever deeper into the swarm of Spider-crabs that had showed up just a couple of minutes ago. Not particularly in the mood to stay behind and watch, or to have Ringo getting on them for taking so long to move out, Saber levered himself up and out of his seat. Looking back over his left shoulder, he found that Slade was doing the same, so that was one less thing he had to worry about. One less thing that he’d have to yell at his spaz of an older twin for when they made it back to the Command Center.

 

Slade had pulled out ahead of him as they ran, and since he was perfectly aware that he’d have to wait until Pegas had dropped out of the Blue Earth’s cargo-hold before he would have the chance to fly out of the ship himself, Saber let him. At least this way, he didn’t have to head for the secondary air-lock.

 

When Slade stopped dead in his tracks, just after he’d activated Pegas and the both of them had started to make a run for the launching-platform, Saber was forced to dig in his heels in an effort _not_ to end up tackling his brother from behind. Not only would that kind of thing have been particularly embarrassing, but it would have cost them both more time than Slade was already using up.

 

“Hey,” he called, when he’d waited for a handful of seconds to see if Slade was going to start moving on his own again. “What’s wrong?”

 

Reaching out to touch Slade’s shoulder, Saber wasn’t entirely surprised when Slade whipped around to face him.

 

“Saber,” Slade muttered, grabbing his right shoulder; Saber noticed that his brother’s hand was trembling slightly, and considering the way Slade had his head tilted forward so that his longish bangs shaded his bright green eyes, Saber wasn’t entirely surprised when his older twin wrapped him up in his arms.

 

Slade was shaking, though Saber only realized that once he’d wrapped his own arms around his older twin in an effort to comfort him. He thought it was kind of funny, sometimes; here he was the younger of the two of them, and _Slade_ was the one to lean on _him_ as an unfailing pillar of emotional strength. Still, if that was what his brother needed him to be, then that was what he was going to give him.

 

The soft chirp of the comm-screen activating prompted Saber to open his right eye slightly, his left being hidden by Slade’s hair and so not in much of a position to be opened; not without certain consequences, at least. Ringo stared at the two of them for a few seconds, blinking as he took in the sight in front of him; Saber swallowed a chuckle as Ringo sunk his face into his right hand. He didn’t really want to disturb Slade, but it was just so funny seeing Ringo looking like that.

 

“Look, I don’t mean to interrupt your little cuddle-fest, but we’re being swarmed by Spider-crabs here,” Ringo said, sounding like he was trying to be annoyed with them, but Saber could tell that the Blue Earth’s pilot was more amused than anything. “So, if you both could get your heads in order, I’m sure we’d all appreciate it.”

 

“Hmm, we’ll have to think about that a bit,” he retorted, turning so he could smirk over Slade’s shoulder at Ringo. “What do you think, brother?”

 

He felt more than heard Slade’s chuckle. “I think I could do that,” he said, and when his older twin looked back up at him, Saber could see his smile. “Let’s go.”

 

Slade clearly hadn’t been crying, but it was clear that he’d needed that bit of comfort all the same. As Slade resumed his run at Pegas’ interlock-chamber, Saber pulled out his teknocrystal. Calling upon the power that the Radam had forced on him, Saber followed his brother out into the cargo bay. Once more unto the breach, and all that.

 

1010010010

 

Finally in a position to _finish_ this whole investigation, his multi-spectrum vision-goggles affixed to his face and all of his belt’s pouches filled with all the tools that he thought he would be needing to make this little trip, Balzac found himself smiling slightly as he stood in front of the long, dark hallway that the Space Knights’ Commander had walked down just this morning. As he began to assemble the grappling-pistol that would enable him to take the first step toward getting through this latest and greatest of the obstacles in front of him, Balzac finally let his smile show fully. There were few things that could stop him, after all, and he had all the tools he would need to bypass pretty much every one of them.

 

With his grappling-pistol fully assembled, Balzac fired his first magnetic-grapple line at the ceiling, tugging on it to make sure it had anchored firmly before he retracted the slack, then he affixed the thing to his tool-belt, taking care to ensure that all of the connections were functioning properly. When he was certain that this phase of his preparations was as complete as he was going to be able to get it, Balzac rose back to his feet, pulling in the excess slack in the grapple-cord as he did. Closing up the case that contained his remaining tools for this job, Balzac slung it over his body diagonally; best to have his tools close at hand.

 

Once he was back on his feet again, with his first grapple-cord as tight as it was going to get, Balzac fired a double-ended grapple-line at the far end of the hall, anchoring the other end to the elevator that he was still standing in; all the while taking great care not to cut any of the laser-tripwires that he could see so clearly through his multi-spectrum viewer. Hooking his boots onto the line, Balzac began to calmly make his way across the floorspace that he’d have otherwise been completely unable to cross.

 

He’d been trained for this, and trained well; he’d performed just this kind of insertion time and time again under controlled circumstances, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t exhilarating. After all, _these_ circumstances were about as far from controlled as you could get; one mistake here could cost him the entire operation. Besides, who knew _what_ kind of defensive measures Jamison would have in place. Sure, General Gault hadn’t seemed to think that the Space Knights’ Commander would be the kind of man to have a lethal defense-system set up inside his own headquarters, but Balzac had long since learned not to trust second-hand intelligence.

 

Even the kind that General Gault’s network provided.

 

As he began to notice the line he was climbing down starting to sag ever so slightly, Balzac took out one of the many magnetic grapple-cords that he had stored in his tool-belt. Fixing it to the ceiling, he clipped the other end to his cord and then continued on his way. The space between the laser-tripwires was starting to feel a bit narrower, but he knew that that was only his mind starting to play tricks on him; he’d trained to deal with just this kind of thing in the past, under those controlled conditions that he remembered so well, if not entirely fondly. He was a professional; he kept moving.

 

He’d find what he was looking for at the end of this hallway, or at least he’d be closer still to his goal.

 

1010010011

 

He could sense Saber behind him, and as much as he would have preferred that his younger twin stayed back in the Command Center - as much as he worried that something might happen to him out here - Slade knew that if he’d suggested that kind of thing, Saber would have punched him. He knew that Saber had been annoyed with him, back during the earlier hours of the day, back when he’d had a bit more time to remember the dreams he’d been having last night, but he hadn’t known quite what to _do_ about it. He wasn’t strong like Saber; he couldn’t just brush aside the dreams, the _memories_ of what he’d almost done yesterday.

 

Still, Saber was here with him now, and there were enemies in front of them; he didn’t need his brother to tell him what was more important.

 

Pulling out his lancer, even as he sensed Saber doing the same, Slade spun it to deflect the sprays of Spider-crab venom that were being fired at him. Saber was riding behind him on Pegas, or at least he had been the last time Slade had seen him. Looking back over his shoulder as he began to hear familiar battlecries, Slade saw that Saber had started making his own way through the mass of Spider-crabs threatening him.

 

 _[Don’t do anything stupid out there, little brother,]_ he said; it was as close as he could get to telling Saber to be careful without his younger twin getting annoyed with him, and even then he had to make sure not to sound too serious.

 

 _[Who do you think you’re talking to, big brother?]_ Saber retorted, and Slade could hear his younger twin’s laughter over their link. _[_ I’m _not the one who has to be constantly reminded of my own limits, oh spaz of mine.]_

_That doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you, brother,_ Slade mused, behind the mental walls that he’d put up. Saber wasn’t the kind of person who liked being fussed over; still, Slade was determined to do all that he could to spare his younger twin unnecessary suffering. It was all he _could_ do, considering all that Saber did for him.

 

Hacking, slashing, and continuing to drive through the ranks of Spider-crabs in front of him, all the while wondering just what it was that Darkon had in mind for them to do here in a sector that Star had said was unimportant to either the Military or the Space Knights, Slade wondered if Darkon could have had something else in mind. Still, whatever it was, he, Saber, and the others were going to stop it. No matter what.

 

1111101010

 

He’d clipped on two additional grapple-cords as he’d made his way down the hallway, and now Balzac was happy to note that he’d finally come to the end of the laser-tripwires. Well, nearly so, since there were still a few stragglers that he could see looming in front of him. It was a welcome sight; sure, he might’ve been tough enough to deal with the maze of laser-tripwires in front of him, but tiring himself out climbing wasn’t going to do him any good here.

 

Once he was sure that there was nothing else in front of him that he’d be required to deal with, Balzac happily removed his multi-spectrum viewing-goggles and dismounted from his grapple-line with a calm forward-flip. He would be needing it again, at least if he didn’t find a way to deactivate the security system from the room that Jamison was obviously hiding at the end of end of this corridor. He wondered for a moment if he would, before he took off at a run down the remaining section of corridor in front of him.

 

When something popped out of a recess in the ceiling, something that oddly enough bore a striking resemblance to the old sprinkler-systems that he’d seen on some abandoned buildings back when he and Marlowe had lived in the bad part of town, Balzac was surprised for a few, crucial seconds. When the faux sprinkler-head began to rain down laserfire on him, he quickly got over his initial startlement and dodged them. _Guess I got a bit cocky, there_ , he mused, even as he let his deeply-trained reflexes carry him out of the path of the beams raining down on him. _I have to remember not to do that._

 

Reaching into his tool belt, Balzac pulled free one of the few pieces of standard equipment he carrier that could have easily been considered a weapon. Hell, it pretty much _was_ a weapon, under any set of definitions that wasn’t the AEM’s. Firing off four of the razor-sharp, serrated discs, Balzac let himself breathe more easily once they had severed all of the power-lines and control-cables to the laser-array that had been taking shots at him; the last shot fired, obviously drawing on the sort of reserve-power that these kinds of systems always had, nearly singed his right ankle then, and he scooted back slightly just in case the weapon’s reserve-power wasn’t quite as depleted as it seemed.

 

“Pretty good security system, but not good enough,” he muttered, once he was completely sure that the power in the turret was gone and there were no other unpleasant things just waiting to pop out and ruin his day.

 

Looking back behind him, having felt the buzzing tingle of a near-miss - a bit _too_ near for his taste, considering just where _that_ laser had been aimed - Balzac grabbed his multi-spectrum viewing-goggles, tucked them back into their pouch on his tool-belt, and stood back up. He’d finally come to the end of the corridor; now all that remained was to see what was on the other side of the door he was facing.

 

0100100100

 

As she watched the twins rip their way through Darkon’s legions of Spider-crabs, Star was careful to keep a strict watch on their respective time-limits. She knew that both Saber and Slade looked out for each other, but she was also fully aware that neither of them had any way of fully keeping track of the other’s time-limit; to say nothing of their own. She’d watched out for Slade before, when he’d first told her about the constraints that he and Saber operated under; neither she nor Slade had had any reason to suspect that Saber had been, in his own strange way, even more constrained. But now that all of them knew the risks that Saber ran every time he left the Blue Earth in his Teknoman form, Star was determined to do her part to help him cope with them.

 

It was the least that she could do.

 

“Amazing, aren’t they, Star?” Ringo said, sounding pleased and a bit awed. “I sure am glad they’re on our side.”

 

She was, too; she just worried about them. She could help it: even as strong as they were, as tough-minded as they both tried to be, Star knew that both of them were still mortal. She’d seen them standing out under the moon last night, Saber’s body-language tense and worried, and she knew that he only reacted that way when Slade was the one in danger. She knew that it probably wasn’t healthy for Saber to do that, but then he knew Slade better than she did; he also knew himself better than anyone else.

 

Star would just have to trust Saber to know his limits.

 

Slade had twenty minutes left before he would have to return to the Blue Earth, Saber fifteen; she knew that Ringo thought the both of them were completely back to normal, better than ever, she’d heard him say, but she wasn’t going to take anything for granted. Not when a friend and the man that she... cared for were out there risking their lives to protect them.

 

Not when their time was as limited as it was.

 

1101001001

 

Standing in front of the control panel, Balzac took out his mini-computer and calmly set to hacking the thing. He was starting to feel a bit more confidant now; this had to be the last threshold between him and whatever kind of breakthroughs the Space Knights’ Commander was hiding. No one sane would have gone to the kind of trouble of setting up the kind of defenses he’d run across down this corridor just to protect another elevator, or even another corridor.

 

Muttering under his breath as Marlowe’s program went about hacking the electronic lock, Balzac pulled his hood back and hit the ‘Enter’ key. The sequence of electronic chirps and bleeps emitted let him know that the program was working, and the flashing of lights on the main control panel once he’d input the commands signaled that everything had gone over smoothly. When the doors in front of him parted, however, spilling light from the hallway into its darkened interior, he was honestly surprised by what he was seeing.

 

“Geez,” he muttered to the empty room, staring up at the nearly-complete set of armor displayed almost proudly in the center of the room. _We knew Jamison was developing synthetic Tekno-armor, but even_ I _didn’t think he’d gotten this far._

 

There were other proto-Tekno-suits in various states of assembly stored neatly all around the room; some of them consisting of nothing more than limbs, and others looking as if all they needed to be combat-ready was a good coat of paint. All told, there were two near-complete units, with several assembled limbs dangling from various cables and wires, seemingly just waiting to be assembled into a new armored suit.

 

“This is _incredible_ ,” he said, making his way over to the suit at the center of the room.

 

“Hello, Balzac,” said a familiar voice; the voice of a man who shouldn’t have even been there in the first place. “I’ve been expecting you.”

 

11010100100

 

“In fact, I’ve just finished reading your dossier,” he said, to the obvious but swiftly-concealed surprise of Gault’s foremost deep-cover agent. “I know that you’re working for General Gault, and I also know why he sent you here,” he held up a small, gold-colored flash-drive, about the size of a playing card. “To find this: a record of everything we’ve learned about the Tekno-power system.”

 

He’d been careful to edit out the mentions of the crystal-substance he’d taken a sample of; that substance could only be cultivated inside a living structure, otherwise it would crumble into something that strongly resembled fine-grained sand. It would not, however, become completely inert, and if restored to the tissue it had been removed from it would begin to grow once more. He himself had used laboratory-grown tissue-cultures to study the substance as it grew; however, he wouldn’t put it past Gault to inject any samples he was provided with into the bodies of unknowing members of his own organization.

 

Knowing that the substance could repair itself under certain conditions, as well as how durable it clearly was, Jamison knew that Gault would do anything he deemed necessary to ensure that he was provided with a steady supply of it if he became aware of its existence; best not to invite trouble from that quarter. Even letting the man have _this_ data, Jamison’s collected information about Slade and Saber’s powers, was a difficult thing.

 

“I admit, you caught me red-handed, Commander,” the spy said, obviously well-trained enough to maintain discipline. “And all this time, I thought I had you fooled. That you’d bought my act hook, line, and sinker like the rest of the Space Knights. But, I should have known that a smart cookie like you wasn’t going to fall for it.” Jamison wondered for a moment if Balzac’s poise was natural, or if it was simply a trained reaction. “You’re the man with the gun, Commander, what do we do now?”

 

He lowered the gun. A light, underhand-toss startled Gault’s spy momentarily, but not enough for him to miss catching the flash-drive. “Congratulations. You’ve just completed your mission.”

 

“Commander, are you serious? Oh, I get it,” the spy said, obviously having come to some sort of conclusion; however, given who he worked with, it was likely not the correct one. “You want something in return, is that it? What do want, Commander, money? Power? Everybody’s got their price, what’s yours?” he paused for a moment, clearly thinking. “No, that’s not your style, is it. But then why are you doing it? I know you think Gault has been given too much power, so why would you furnish him information that would give him even more?”

 

“There’s a lot more at stake here than power and prestige,” he said calmly, knowing that his words were unlikely to make a true impression on the kind of man that Balzac was likely to be, but feeling the need to say them all the same. “In case you’ve forgotten, the Earth is at war. But then, I suppose it never would have occurred to _you_ , that I’m doing this for the good of our planet and its people.”

 

He could see the clear lack of understanding on Balzac’s face; just as Gault would have failed to understand his reasons if he had ever tried to explain them to the other man, it was clear that Balzac was of the same mind. Not surprising, considering that Balzac was Gault’s trusted officer. Still, it was something to remember in the future.

 

He’d no doubt that they would all be hearing from Balzac again; and likely his compatriot Marlowe, as well.

 

0010010101001

 

“Boys! They’re heading for the research facility just south of you!” Ringo informed them over the comm. “Get over there, pronto!”

 

“We’re on our way,” he responded quickly, contacting Saber over their link just as his younger twin was about to go after another knot of Spider-crabs. Saber acknowledged him readily, and Slade smiled as his brother joined up with him on Pegas.

 

_[So, it’s finally time to end this, eh brother?]_

_[Yeah,]_ he returned, smiling slightly. _[Let’s do this.]_

 

Moving out of Saber’s line of fire , Slade began charging up his Tekno-bolt. He didn’t know just how much time he had left, and more than that he didn’t know what _Saber’s_ time looked like, either; so he just focused on ending this fight as quickly as he could. It was better for everyone that way, anyway.

 

As he fired, feeling as much as seeing the energies of Saber’s Tekno-bolt joining up with his on the way to the facility, Slade wondered for a moment if _that_ had been what Darkon had been interested in when he sent his creatures out to attack it. But, if that _had_ been the case, then why hadn’t he sent Spear, too? As much as Slade hated the idea of fighting his brainwashed older brother again, he knew that Spear really _was_ Darkon’s best asset.

 

Still, he’d probably done a lot of damage to the evil Teknoman when he’d fired that Tekno-bolt at him... maybe _that_ was why he hadn’t shown up.

 

 _[Thinking deep thoughts, brother?]_ Saber asked, as Slade directed Pegas back to where the Blue Earth was poised waiting for them.

 

 _[No,]_ he said, resisting the urge to sigh. _[I was just... it’s nothing,]_ he said quickly, remembering just what Saber had been put through yesterday thanks to Spear.

 

 _[What is it_ really _, brother?]_ Saber asked, sounding like he was starting to become irritated.

 

 _[Really, it’s not important,]_ he said, as he flew Pegas underneath the belly-hatch of the Blue Earth and prepared to dock.

 

 _[We’re going to talk about this later, brother mine,]_ Saber said firmly.

 

Sighing, Slade let Pegas settle back into his place on the special launch-platform that had been built for the Teknobot to use. It was good that Saber was so observant, and he would have been lying if he said he didn’t appreciate his younger twin’s being there for him, but sometimes... he just wished that Saber could be a bit less quick to intervene. He didn’t want to be any more of a burden to his brother than he probably already was.

 

As he climbed into Pegas’ interlock-chamber, letting the energy of his transformation fade, Slade tried to relax. This wouldn’t be the first time Saber had tried to get information out of him, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. He’d just have to reassure Saber that he could handle it; preferably in some way that _didn’t_ make Saber feel he had to punch him in the head on general principle.

 

As he swayed briefly in the wake of the lack of energy that his transformation had provided for him, Slade felt Saber reaching out to catch him. “Thanks,” he muttered, leaning into the comfort of his younger twin’s strong arms.

 

“Anytime, brother,” Saber said, and Slade could tell that his younger twin was smiling gently at him.

 

He was careful to move in tandem with Saber as his brother walked back into the Blue Earth’s cockpit. With Saber’s right arm around his waist, his own left arm around Saber’s shoulders, and Saber’s left hand holding his own, Slade was confidant that he wouldn’t fall over. No matter _how_ weary he was beginning to feel.

 

“Welcome back, superheroes,” Ringo greeted them cheerfully. “Nice work.”

 

“Not bad for amateurs,” Star said, smiling; the both of them had turned their chairs around, probably so that they could get a better view of him and Saber as they came in.

 

“And punctual, too,” Ringo said, still grinning. “That’ll look nifty on your résumés.”

 

“I suppose we’ll have to use _Star_ as a reference, though,” Saber said, in that tone he used when he was pretending to think deeply about something.

 

“You wound me, Saber,” Ringo said dryly, still sounding like he was grinning. “You wound me deeply.”

 

“Funny, you two,” he muttered, even as Saber helped him back over to his seat. “Very funny.”

 

Gratefully slumping down into his chair, Slade closed his eyes as he heard Saber settling into his own seat just behind him. There were still things that he wondered about, and a few that he would have to take care of when they had all returned to the Command Center, but for now Slade was content to get what sleep he could. With the kind of life that he and Saber lead, even something as seemingly simple as sleep couldn’t be taken for granted.

 

1010100100

 

With Balzac dealt with, and on his way back to General Gault to make his report, Jamison made his own way back to Comm. One. He still had his own duties, to make sure that his people were taken care of. And if that required him to work with a man that he found as personally distasteful as General Gault, then that was what he would do.

 

The doors parted before him as the proximity-sensors detected his approach, and as he made his way deeper into the room, Jamison’s eyes settled on Tina.

 

“How’d it go?” he asked. “Are they all right?”

 

“They’re all just fine, Commander Jamison,” Tina said, turning her chair to the side to that she could face him more squarely. “Slade and Saber knocked those Spider-crabs right out of the sky! The Blue Earth is headed back; they should be landing in a few minutes, sir.”

 

“Good to hear,” he said, breathing more easily for the knowledge.

 

He was always pleased to know that his Space Knights, _his people_ , were as safe as they could be during these difficult times. To know that they were as safe as he could make them, even when, as now, he was forced to cooperate with distasteful people like Balzac, and by extension General Gault. That satisfaction was worth a great many things to him.

 

11001001011

 

Finally out of the Space Knights’ Command Center, though no less confused about what Commander Jamison’s motives for just _giving_ him the data he now held possession of could possibly be, Balzac continued his drive down the road. When he stopped at the checkpoint, idling his engine as his clearance was checked and vaguely registered the fact that one of the guards was speaking to him, Balzac turned over the events of this eventful day in his mind.

 

Looking back over his left shoulder, seeing the main hub of the Space Knights’ Command Center spread out behind him, Balzac narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered the man who oversaw it. _What are you up to, Jamison? Did you tell me the truth, or am I just another pawn in your chess game, to be used for your own ends? Well, no matter._

 

“I got what I came here for, and that’s all that matters as far as I’m concerned,” he muttered, taking out the pair of mirrored sunglasses that he used when driving during days like this. As he pulled away from the checkpoint, and the Space Knight Command Center behind it, Balzac heard the high, harsh whine of aerospace engines.

 

The Blue Earth was obviously coming home to roost. Looking up at the ship as it swooped back in for a landing, Balzac smirked slightly. _So long, kids; I’ve got a feeling that the three of us will be seeing each other again real soon._

 


	16. Sword and Steel

Their boys were zonked out in the seats reserved for them, and as he brought the Blue Earth back down to a smooth, safe landing, Ringo smiled. He’d been a little worried about them, or at least about Slade, since Saber usually seemed to have _his_ head on straight even when his brother was freaking out. Still, after he’d seen those two out there, he wasn’t going to worry anymore. Whatever Saber had said to his lunkhead of a twin brother while the two of them had been cuddling, it’d clearly done the trick to get him back in the game.

 

He’d have to thank Saber for whatever it was, in some subtle way that wouldn’t get the kid’s attention and likely end up with the kid giving him one of the “what are you, _stupid_?” looks that he tended to give Slade just before whacking his brother upside the head; maybe a good game of racquetball... he’d have to think about it, though.

 

Once the Blue Earth was settled nicely back on _terra firma_ , and he and Star had finished with the shut-down sequence, Ringo climbed out of his seat and headed over to where Saber was sitting. Star had subtly edged him out every other time that he’d tried to scoop Slade out of his seat, ever since she’d started getting closer to the kid. So, he’d started focusing his attention on getting Saber back to his room.

 

He thought it was kind of cute, the way she wanted to spend as much time as she could with Slade, even when the kid was clearly determined to be an idiot about something that no one but the most oblivious of people - or someone who didn’t spend very much time around them, but Slade _definitely_ didn’t have that kind of excuse - would have been able to ignore. Maybe he could use the game of racquetball that he was going to see about arranging with Saber to hash out just how they might be able to get Star and Slade to admit how they felt about each other.

 

Smiling slightly as he lifted Saber out of his eat, even as Star was gathering Slade up into her arms, Ringo watched as she left the Blue Earth. Making his own way out of the ship once Star had moved out of the entrance, Ringo took a look down at Saber when he’d gotten back on more stable footing. The kid was doing all right, sleeping like the kitten that he and Slade looked so much like when they curled up together.

 

He wondered, sometimes, if he’d have found Slade in Saber’s room - or the other way around - if he’d have been able to look without fear of inviting Saber’s reprisal. He figured that he probably would have, since what had gone on yesterday would have been practically guaranteed to freak Slade out but good. Still, there was also the chance that - given that it’d been Saber who Slade had attacked in the first place - that whatever kind of comfort that Slade got from having his brother with him wouldn’t have been nearly as comforting as it’d seemed to be the last two times that he’d seen it in action.

 

Who knew, maybe the two of them _had_ slept separately last night; there was no real way for him to know, particularly since Saber would probably punch him if he tried to bring it up in conversation.

 

When he’d gotten Saber back to his room, settling the kid into his bed after he’d taken his boots off, Ringo sighed. Sure, those boys _seemed_ to be all back to normal – ripping right through the Radam’s Spider-crabs just the same way that they had always seemed to do – but somehow he got the feeling that there was more to the situation than either of the twins was letting on. Even _he_ couldn’t have been expected to just get over something like what had happened to the twins in just a single day, and he wasn’t even the one expected to spearhead the defense of Earth the way both Slade and Saber were.

 

Of course, that meant that there was yet another thing that he’d have to subtly bring up while he and Saber were playing racquetball; this was starting to look like a bigger job than he’d planned on in the beginning, but since those two crazy kids were just as much his friends as he was theirs, he wasn’t going to half-ass it just because it was hard. If anything, he’d do a better job _because_ of that. Slade and Saber had done everything that they could to repel the Radam, their Spider-crabs, and even those other Teknomen that the enemy seemed to be keeping in storage somewhere.

 

Really, it was the _least_ he could do, making sure that the twins keep their heads straight after all the crap that was being shoveled on them.

 

11110100101

 

As he pulled back into his reserved parking space in the parking-lot of AEM Command, at least the one that operated in this area, Balzac smiled. Not only did he have one hell of a lot of data to share with the General, not only could he get rid of the damned, annoying beard that he’d been sporting for the duration of his stay at the Space Knights’ Command Center, but he also had one hell of a story to tell Marlowe when the two of them managed to find some time for themselves.

 

All in all, he was more than happy to be getting back to a place that he felt he could belong; the one place that had taken in a pair of street brats with no family, no real last names, and no connections, and given them a future.

 

Rolling his eyes a bit at the direction his thoughts had taken, not really wanting to think about depressing things – the past was gone, he and Marlowe had gotten away from it, and so there was no point in thinking about anything that had to do with those days – Balzac continued on his way deeper into his home base. Continued into the only real home that he had ever known.

 

He had to make an appointment with the General so that he could give his report before he did anything else, even in spite of the fact that he wanted nothing more than to head back to his room for a long, hot shower, after he’d shaved off every last scrap of the damned beard he’d had to grow for this job. Still, he’d learned long ago to put business before pleasure if he wanted to get anywhere in this world.

 

Flagging down one of the many, _many_ junior officers in this section of the base, Balzac gave him instructions to report his presence to the General. After he was done, Balzac made for the room that he’d been assigned when he first got here; the one he’d spent a fair amount of his formative years in, the closest thing to a home that he and Marlowe had ever had. Once he’d gotten inside, tossing his hat onto a convenient table on his way into the bathroom, Balzac removed his shirt and tossed it in the hamper.

 

He’d wash up once he was done shaving, but there was no way that he was going to wait that long to get rid of the damned beard.

 

Lathering up his favorite shaving-cream, Balzac covered the beard with it – making sure to work it in between all of the niggling little hairs at the edges of the beard – and began to shave the thing. It felt so good, to slide the razor down his face, slicing away all of the longish, itchy hairs that he’d been allowing to grow on it. Continuing with his work, glancing up at the mirror occasionally to check that he’d gotten what he’d been aiming for, or to see where he needed to move to next.

 

When he was finally finished, rinsing the remains of the shaving-cream off of his face and toweling himself dry, Balzac smiled at his reflection in the mirror. _That’s more like it,_ he thought, squirting a handful of aftershave into his palm. Smoothing it over his face, feeling the accustomed, cool tingle as he rubbed the stuff on his cheeks, chin, and along the base of his jaw, Balzac let his smile curve upward into a smirk.

 

Knowing his actions were being observed, and also being perfectly aware of just where the alleged hidden-camera was located – having been thoroughly acquainted with the tools of the espionage trade well enough to know the tell-tale signs of a hidden-camera when it was spying on him – Balzac turned around and headed over to the painting behind him. It was an abstract; something that bore a slight resemblance to something else, but not really enough to tell you what the hell it was at first glace.

 

It was also, in this case, the perfect place to hide a camera.

 

“Well, what d’you think of me now?” he asked, smirking a bit wider as he imagined the person on the other side of the feed. “Handsome devil, aren’t I?”

 

He really hoped it was Sylvia who’d been assigned to monitoring duty during this shift; she was such a cutie.

 

Flicking his razor a few more times to get the last of the water off, Balzac put it up neatly and then began to wash up. He had a lot of things to do today, starting with making his report to the General, and then finding some time to catch up on things with Marlowe. After all, there was a lot of ground to cover, for both of them.

 

11101010010

 

Once he’d been given the data that Balzac had gathered from those Space Knights, Marlowe hadn’t wasted any time in uploading the data from the flash-drive into his personal mainframe. After going over the gathered data as thoroughly as he ever did, Marlowe had presented it to the scientific division that he had been placed in charge of and ordered them to get to work on a prototype.

 

There were times, even now after all he’d done and seen them do, that Marlowe couldn’t quite believe that _he_ was in charge of an entire Sci-Division. Times when he was sure that he was going to wake up and find that all of this had actually been a dream, that he and Balzac hadn’t really escaped their lives in the slums. That the two of them were right back where they had started.

 

Still, there were more important things to think about today than the tricks that his subconscious seemed to want to play on him whenever he let down his guard for too long. Things like the fact that General Gault himself had taken an interest in the work he and his Division were doing, and hence would be arriving to meet him shortly. With that in mind, Marlowe had had his underlings working twice as hard as he had ever had.

 

Marlowe liked to see that all of his underlings understood just how important it was that General Gault saw just how dedicated his Sci-Division was to the cause; it wouldn’t do for the General to see them slacking-off on something so important, so he was glad that none of them had done so.

 

Checking the clock, one of several that had been synchronized to the time-readings in the master-mainframe of this base, Marlowe saw that General Gault would be there momentarily. Knowing that it was always best to be prepared when the General was involved, Marlowe activated his mainframe and began calling up the data that he and his Sci-Division had compiled while they had been working toward building their own, working prototype.

 

Marlowe often thought that they would have made better progress on that front if they had been given access to the prototypes that the Space Knights’ Commander Jamison had been working on; still, for starting work with only the raw data that Balzac had provided for them, his Sci-Division had done very well.

 

Just as he had finished bringing the specifications for the prototype that was being built, General Gault himself came striding into the room.

 

“Report,” the General said, after he had taken in the environs of this room of Marlowe’s Sci-Division.

 

“Yes, General,” he said, nodding and beginning to run through the data that he and his Division had compiled. “We’ve been making quite a bit of progress during these last few days,” he continued, a slight, pleased smile. “The Military will soon have our own Tekno-suits. We’ve been running several tests in the computer, and I think the results will impress you.”

 

“Excellent work.”

 

“Thank you, General Gault,” he said, smiling at the thought that came to him “We couldn’t have done it without Balzac. We’ve been checking over the entire system: right now, they’re evaluating the integrated gyro-mechanism.” The General made a noise of understanding. “If you’re really interested, General, you can watch my people put one together. They are building the prototype in Lab A.”

 

“All right,” the General said, making his way over to a convenient opening in the wall; something that Marlowe himself often used to observe the activities within the laboratory. “When should the first suit be ready?”

 

“Very soon,” he said calmly.

 

“What did you find out about “Z-tron”?” the General asked, after a few minutes spent watching the laboratory technicians and engineers at their assigned tasks. “Balzac said that it was listed under “antimatter” in the Teknoman files. Do they use it to transform, and can _we_ use it in our Tekno-suits?”

 

After so long spent studying the data in that flash-drive, not to mention what Balzac had shared with him of his time spent with the Space Knights, it was impossible for Marlowe not to know just who the General was referring to when he asked that question. “Well, General, we think that Z-tron _is_ the substance they use to transform.”

 

“Just as I thought,” the General said. “Can our scientists develop the technology which will enable them to synthesize the substance in our research labs? Enough to supply our needs?”

 

“I believe it’s possible to synthesize it.”

 

“Marvelous,” the General said, clearly pleased. “That’s very good. Because of your diligence, we can finally turn the tables on the alien invaders. _This_ is the added muscle I needed; this is my finest hour. The best part of this is, when we have our own Tekno-suits, we won’t need Slade or his brother anymore.”

 

He didn’t have anything in particular to say to that, so Marlowe kept his thoughts to himself. There wasn’t really anything for him _to_ say; the only things he knew about those two was the fact that Balzac thought that he might like Saber, and that the two of them worked for the Space Knights. And, given how the General had sounded at the prospect of not needing either of them anymore, Marlowe now understood that General Gault wasn’t particularly fond of either of them for one reason or another.

 

Of course, it wasn’t really his business what the General felt about the Space Knights, so Marlowe made up his mind not to think about it anymore.

 

“Keep up the good work,” the General said, grinning at him before turning to leave.

 

Nodding even as the General left, Marlowe turned his attention back to his technicians, watching as they continued building the prototype. Seeing one of his own designs, admittedly based on the work of the Space Knights’ Commander Jamison, coming into being definitely provided him with a feeling of accomplishment. With a last look into the laboratory, Marlowe turned and made his way back to the computer.

 

While his underlings had their own duties, he knew by now that he could trust them to take care of their own assignments.

 

11010100011

 

_He was inside the Command Center; it felt like there was something clawing at his mind, forcing him onward and deeper into the building. There was also someone in front of him, running from him as he continued forward. He didn’t know why, but he almost thought that this person was somehow familiar to him._

_They were running, whoever they were, running away from him. Why, though? If he and they were both supposed to be friends, then why was this person running from him?_

_He thought, or else he remembered, that the running figure in front of him was a girl; could be a girl, or in any case it-_ she _was female, at least. He couldn’t see the look on her face, couldn’t know if even she knew why she was running from him, but she still was. It was frustrating!_

_Was she the enemy? Was_ that _why she was running from him? It had to be._

_Lunging forward, he swung the weapon in his hands with a growl. If she was the enemy, then she was going to die just like every other enemy! Someone else, a boy, or a man, came up from behind him; another enemy, probably wanting to attack him for what he’d done to that woman, came running up from behind him._

_Turning quickly, more quickly than his new enemy probably realized he_ could _move, he stabbed forward. It was kind of strange, though: none of these new enemies seemed to be reacting right; neither of them seemed to know how fast he could move when he was under pressure, and not one of them had moved to attack. In fact, the two new ones who had just shown up, most likely in response to what he’d done to their compatriots, weren’t even moving forward at all._

_It was like they didn’t even_ want _to confront him. But, that was impossible, wasn’t it?_

_He could sense something else, now; something- someone that felt very familiar to him. Something that all of his instincts told him was a friend. He thought that he might have even been able to put a name to it; still, he was surrounded by enemies. But then, maybe that was_ why _this new person was coming; he hoped so._

_When the new person placed themselves between him and his enemies, though, he didn’t really know what to do. This newcomer wasn’t_ supposed _to be an enemy; his instincts were telling him that, and he’d only gotten as far as he had into this place - a place that he could no longer remember the name of - by following them. On the other hand, his allies weren’t supposed to be siding with the enemy._

_That would have to mean that_ he _was the enemy too; he didn’t_ want _this newcomer- someone who was familiar to him in so many little ways, to be the enemy. That meant that he would have to deal with them the same way he’d dealt with all of his other enemies, and he didn’t_ want _that. Still, when another enemy came running up from behind the newcomer, an enemy that began to feel maddeningly familiar when he turned his attention to them, he realized what he had to do._

_It was a strange situation, but the only explanation that made any sense was that his enemies had managed to find a way of tricking his own instincts into thinking of them as friends. That meant that the newcomer_ wasn’t _someone that he knew, someone that he’d worked closely with and would therefore want to protect. It was just another enemy, and that meant that he didn’t have to hesitate anymore._

_He’d deal with_ them _, just like he dealt with all of his other enemies._

_Pointing his weapon forward, he drove it deep into the center-of-mass that his enemy - the one that had tried to trick him into thinking it was a friend - presented to him. When the enemy fell, blood dripping from its mouth, into the arms of another enemy that had been trying to disguise itself from him, he hadn’t expected to feel anything but vindication in the fact that he’d managed to see through their disguises and deal with them like any other enemy._

_Instead, it felt like he’d lost something; something important to him, something that he’d never wanted to lose. Wait, how had his enemy known_ that _name? Where had he heard it, and why was he saying it as if it_ meant _something to him? He was just an enemy!_

_They both were, right...?_

 

Lunging up and out of bed, Slade tried frantically to regain his bearings. Seeing the familiar edges of the objects in his room, their forms momentarily obscured before his eyes adjusted to the level of light in his room, Slade tried to control his frantic breathing. That had been the first time that he’d ever seen Shara in one of his dreams, and he wished he hadn’t seen anyone.

 

He hated those; the nightmares that haunted him almost every time that he tried to rest, driving him from sleep and making him feel like he was losing his mind.

 

He’d told Saber that he was all right, and the two of them had slept in their own rooms. He was glad for that; Saber would have worried too much about him, especially if he’d heard Slade shouting his and Shara’s names the way he’d done just a few seconds ago. That dream, that _nightmare_ , had been horrible, but he was coping.

 

It was what he had to do.

 

The next thing he knew, the screen in his room, the one on the right-hand side of his bed that he hadn’t had much cause to think about until now, blinked on suddenly. Tina was there, smiling at him as if she hadn’t a care in the world; besides Saber, Slade couldn’t think of a person that he’d wanted to see less at this moment. After all, _she_ had been in his dream, too.

 

“Good morning, time to get out of bed!” Tina called cheerfully. “Saber’s already up, and the Commander wants to see all of us, right away.”

 

“Great,” he muttered, turning away as he tried to gather his wits. “I’ll be right there.”

 

“What’s the matter?” Tina asked teasingly, smiling at him with closed eyes. “Did you get up on the wrong side of bed?”

 

The screen turned off after that, and Slade was glad not to have to answer Tina’s question. He didn’t _want_ to tell anyone about the dreams he’d been having; that would just make people worry, and he didn’t want to be anymore of a burden than he was.

 

Climbing out of bed, Slade headed for the bathroom attached to his personal quarters. He’d have to wash up quickly, especially since Tina had implied that the Commander was waiting on him. Well, him and Saber, but the way Tina had said it had seemed to imply that Saber had already gotten ready. So, really it was just him that needed to hurry up.

 

Washing up quickly, Slade dressed in yet another Space Knight uniform and made his way out of his quarters. He could still remember what he’d seen himself doing in that nightmare, still remember blood dripping down Saber’s chin and the way his teknolance had stuck up out of his younger twin’s chest. Shaking his head to clear the memories, Slade zipped up his vest and made his way out of his quarters.

 

Looking down the hall, Slade caught sight of Saber. He tried not to think too much about what he’d dreamed just last night; he didn’t want to break down in front of his brother, or really anyone else, but he didn’t want Saber in particular to worry about what was happening to him. As he caught up to Saber, falling into step beside his younger twin, Slade looked over at him.

 

Saber looked like he was doing all right, there were no signs that his younger twin had been having any nightmares, or that he’d been having any trouble sleeping at all. Slade was glad to see that; he didn’t want his brother to suffer the things that he’d been going through. Saber would probably have smacked him if he’d known how Slade was worrying about him, but Slade couldn’t stop himself from doing so.

 

Neither did he want to.

 

“Hey, brother,” he said, after looking over Saber to make sure that he was all right.

 

“Hey, brother,” Saber echoed, as they both headed down the corridor toward Comm One.

 

There was no real need to say anything after that; both of them knew the other well enough to know if the other wasn’t doing well. When the both of them reached Comm. One, running down the down the corridor to save at least _some_ time, Slade found that all of the other Space Knights were already there waiting for them. When he and Saber joined up with the rest of them, Slade breathed more easily.

 

Even though there was probably something unpleasant in store for them, he would at least be _doing_ something; it would help keep his mind off of his nightmare.

 

“Hey, you two,” Ringo said tauntingly. “I just _knew_ you’d grace us with your presence sometime.”

 

“Shut up,” Star muttered, just loudly enough that they could all hear her.

 

“Thank you, Star,” the Commander said, his sharp, pinkish gaze taking them all in. “Now that you’re all here, let’s cut to the chase: I want you to go to Texas.”

 

“ _Texas_?” Ringo echoed; Slade could understand why the other Space Knight was so incredulous about the idea, since Texas was quite a bit out of their way, and the Radam mainly seemed to be attacking in either the surrounding area or on the Space Ring.

 

“That’s right,” the Commander stated. “Look at this.”

 

“That’s an old piece of equipment,” Mac said, in response to the image that appeared on the main screen after it had displayed what seemed to have been the Blue Earth’s projected course.

 

“Looks like some ancient relic,” Maggie said; Slade tried to think of where he might have seen something like that, the machine almost seemed like something Ness Carter would have seen in a history book or something.

 

“This “antique” is a particle-accelerator,” the Commander said; Slade could have sighed, of course it would have been something that he wouldn’t have paid that much attention to back then. “It was used to produce antimatter.”

 

“Well, that’s interesting and all, Commander,” Saber said. “But I don’t quite see the relevance right now.”

 

“I’m getting to that,” the Commander said, switching the view to various exterior shots of the place where the particle-accelerator was housed.

 

“Wow,” Ringo said, sounding honestly impressed. “That place is humongous.”

 

“Back in the old days, they needed a bigger facility,” Mac said, in the tone of someone who had remembered something relevant. “All of the anti-matter plants were large.”

 

“This machine has not been used in some time,” the Commander said. “But, the Military wants us to acquire this facility. For some reason, they want to create their own Z-tron. The problem is that the facility’s automatic defense system is down.”

 

“That’s not surprising,” Maggie said. “It’s just so old. The wires have probably corroded by now.”

 

“Begging the Commander’s pardon,” Mac said, even as Slade himself wondered just what the Military’s angle was in all of this; it wasn’t like them to want something for no reason. “But, if you start cooking up a batch of that antimatter, those aliens are bound to find out about it.”

 

“You’re right, Mac,” the Commander said. “The energy produced while creating Z-tron is certain to attract the Radam to the facility. Your mission will be to protect the facility from the Radam, until the facility’s automatic defense system can be repaired. This mission is of top priority to the Military; Star, Slade, Saber, and Ringo will protect the facility; Tina will remain here, in charge of communications; Maggie and Mac will repair the defense system. Move out.”

 

He paused for a moment, Tina’s face sticking in his mind and reminding him all too forcefully of the nightmare that he’d been having not so long ago. He stared at her, seeing her holding the bleeding, gasping, dying form of his younger twin, right up until he felt a sharp, sudden tug on his right shoulder.

 

“We’re moving out now, big brother,” Saber said; he was smirking slightly, and there was a knowing look in his eyes. “Don’t space on me.”

 

“Right,” he said quickly, nodding.

 

As he let Saber lead him out of Comm. One and down the corridors toward Hangar Three, Slade hoped that neither of them would end up having to deal with Spear again. Slade didn’t think he could handle it, and he didn’t want Saber to suffer any more than he already had.

 

101001001011

 

When he’d gone to Marlowe’s room, he hadn’t been surprised to find his long-time friend standing in front of the large, bay windows that dominated the room. That was the main reason his old friend had chosen _this_ place to spend the time that he wasn’t working on one of his projects. Balzac was just glad that the two of them had had enough clout to pick their own quarters now rather than having them be assigned the way they had been in a few of the other bases they’d stayed in.

 

“I hate to say it, Balzac,” Marlowe said, not even waiting for him to announce himself. “But, you know, those alien trees really spruce up these New York slums. Gives the place a little color.”

 

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he said, looking out over the broken-down, decaying cityscape that he could see through his old friend’s window. “ _Anything_ would be an improvement in this town. Still, those things give me the creeps.”

 

Marlowe made a soft sound of agreement, and Balzac continued to stare down into the city that was laid out before him. He remembered living down there in the allies, together with Marlowe; always looking for a bit of fast cash, or an easy mark. They’d had their own little gang and everything, just them against whatever the city and its denizens could throw at them.

 

Right up until Mailer had sold them up the river; whenever he thought about that, Balzac would find himself hoping that his and Marlowe’s ersatz friend had gotten himself eaten by a Spider-crab.

 

“You know,” Marlowe said wistfully, his hands pressed up against the tempered, bulletproof glass. “As a little kid I used to go to that lot down there; I used to have fun playing space invaders.”

 

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re _still_ playing space invaders. The only difference is that it isn’t a game anymore.” He sighed, a sign of weakness that he would only show in front of Marlowe. “Come on, Marlowe, I’ll buy you a drink.”

 

He thought that they could both use one; him because he needed something to steady his nerves after being so suddenly reminded of Mailer and all the shit they’d been forced to put up with because of him. And Marlowe, well, his old friend might have been willing to put all of his time into overseeing his Sci-Division, both since he’d found his passion in life and because he was just as indebted to the AEM as Balzac himself was; but everyone needed some time off once in awhile.

 

“Sounds good,” Marlowe said, as the two of them left the room on their way out; they’d have to stop at least one of the checkpoints and clear their leave with security so they wouldn’t get hauled back in for any infractions. He’d gotten used to the system, but it still seemed like kind of a hassle when he thought too much about it; that was why he tried not to. “I know a little club not too far from here.”

 

Shrugging, since anyone knew that _he_ didn’t pay much attention to what was going on down there in their old haunts, Balzac let Marlowe lead him. He’d joined the AEM to get _away_ from all of the bullshit that he’d had to put up with when he and Marlowe had been surviving together on the streets; no way in hell was he ever going to give this hellhole any more of his attention than was absolutely necessary.

 

As he and Marlowe made their way out of the base, stopping periodically to flash their identity cards at the various personnel manning the security-checkpoints, and finally explaining to the soldiers at the last checkpoint just what they were going to be doing on their short leave, Balzac smiled softly. He might not have been overly fond of the fact that Marlowe wanted to take him back into the very place that the both of them had fought so hard to escape all those years ago, but there _was_ some nostalgia value to it.

 

They’d both been born there, after all.

 

Leaving the base and their compatriots behind, Balzac fell in behind Marlowe as the two of them made their way into the decaying cityscape that they had both called home such a long time ago. The place hadn’t changed from how he remembered it, at least if you didn’t count the giant, purple trees that the Radam had seeded all over the damn place. Nothing was really different than it had been when they’d left.

 

Nothing, that was, except the people who were coming back.

 

“So, where’re you taking me?” he asked, as the two of them continued on their way through the darkened allies of the slum.

 

“It’s a great place,” Marlowe assured him, pausing for a moment to let Balzac catch up. “Real Old New York; they even named it after an old Broadway show,” Marlowe said, with a soft chuckle.

 

As the two of them continued on their way through the slums, and Balzac began to become particularly curious about just where it was that the two of them were going to end up when they finally made it to their ultimate destination, he couldn’t help but take note of the people around them. Not because he particularly wanted to, but because one of them had just made himself known in the usual fashion.

 

“Hey, mister.” It was a kid; not much older than the two of them had been when Mailer sold them out, and with that same lean, hungry look to him that Balzac had become entirely too familiar with during the years that he’d spent down in this pit. “Mister, could you spare some change?”

 

“Here you go, kid,” Marlowe said, leaning down so he could hand some money to the urchin.

 

“Hey,” he said, calling attention to himself after taking a few moments to think. “Why don’t you go buy yourself something hot to eat?” he said, handing over what he could spare from his wallet. The kid scampered off without another word, but since he’d been in that same situation more times than he honestly wanted to remember, Balzac didn’t take it personally. “This never _was_ a good neighborhood.”

 

“Yeah,” Marlowe said, as the two of them continued on their way through the slums. “Too bad we had to grow up here.”

 

As they passed a few more run-down buildings, and another intersection that would likely never see any cars in either of their lifetimes, Balzac began to recognize some of the few landmarks that remained in the decaying cityscape around them. “Hey, I remember this dump,” he said, as they passed beneath a broken neon sign on the wall on their way down a flight of stairs that was just wide enough for the two of them to walk down side-by-side. “Does anybody _come_ here anymore?” he muttered, as they came up to a pair of saloon-style doors.

 

“You’d be surprised,” Marlowe said, sounding a bit nostalgic.

 

Balzac would have never voluntarily admitted it, and not to anyone at all besides Marlowe, but he himself was starting to feel at least _something_ for this place. This one in particular, if not the city at large. Pushing open the right door, Balzac found that the room beyond was indeed as busy as Marlowe’s earlier words had made it out to be; probably because there wasn’t any other particularly accessible watering hole in this shithole of a town.

 

No way in hell was anyone coming down _here_ for the ambiance.

 

“Now, what were you saying?” Marlowe asked, sounding vindicated. “Something about no one ever coming here anymore?”

 

He smirked. “This place smells like an old, moldy locker room,” he said, digging out his wallet and counting out the cash he needed. “But, what the hell; we’re here and I’m thirsty,” he handed the cash to Marlowe. “Why don’t you go to the bar and get us a couple of cool ones.”

 

“Sure thing,” Marlowe said, taking the cash from him as he moved through the crowd.

 

Tensing a bit as he felt someone’s hand on his left shoulder, Balzac was just about to shrug the offender off when they spoke. “Hey, how ya doing?” it was a man, old-looking; white-haired with an unshaven, stubbled chin. “Um. Hey, man, would you buy me a drink? Come on, now. Whadda’ya say, my man?” the man asked, obviously trying to sound ingratiating but really only coming off as annoying. “One lousy drink?” he grinned widely, revealing several missing teeth. “Huh? Come one, whadda’ya say?”

 

“I know you,” he said, recognition having snapped into place.

 

“Yeah,” his “old friend” muttered. “But... um, who-”

 

“Take a look,” he cut in, pointing to his face; while he might have been a bit irked that Mailer hadn’t gotten himself killed by a Spider-crab, he’d have been lying if he said he didn’t welcome the chance to get a little payback of his own. “Come on, don’t you recognize me?”

 

“It- can’t be,” Mailer babbled, knocked off his feet by sheer disbelief.

 

“Oh, yes it can,” he pressed, getting in close to the old, broken-down bum even in spite of the stench; it was one he remembered _very_ well. “I’m Balzac. You remember me, don’t you pal? The three of us used to work together.”

 

“That’s right,” Marlowe added, clearly drawn by the confrontation.

 

“We were partners, remember? Till you ratted us out.” he needled, savoring the sheer, delicious terror on Mailer’s stupid-looking face. “My friend; I’ve so looked forward to seeing you again.”

 

“It was awhile ago,” Marlowe said, and he could feel his old friend – his _true_ friend – leaning in closer. “We were all just kids.”

 

He could still remember the job that they had been working: a small shop in what could have almost been called the better part of town, if one had a sick sense of humor. The three of them had been about thirteen, he thought; an estimation he made, but without the use of calendars and with no way of knowing his real birthday, he’d never know if it was true or not. Mailer had been on lookout, keeping watch for the police that patrolled the area so that none of them would be picked up.

 

To this day he didn’t know how, exactly, Mailer had been persuaded to rat them out the way he did; he didn’t really _care_ , but this opportunity was just too good to pass up.

 

“Hey, man, I’m sorry,” Mailer said, shaking like the terrified rat he so obviously was. “We were just kids then, you know?”

 

“Oh, don’t apologize,” Marlowe said, sounding nearly as amused as Balzac felt. “If it hadn’t been for you, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

 

“That’s right,” he added. “If you hadn’t ratted on us that night, we might’ve ended up like _you_.”

 

“You did us a _favor_ ,” Marlowe said, over Mailer’s gasp.

 

He remembered _that_ night particularly well: Gault had come into the prison, smiling down on them in their little cell like they were the most amusing thing that he’d seen in a long time. He didn’t know what rank the General had had when he’d taken them out, most of the niggling details of the night his life began not having stuck around through all of the intervening years, but the big events – his training, Marlowe’s evaluation, their shared promises – would be something that he would remember for the rest of his life.

 

“When the police came for us that night, and we were taken to prison, we almost thought that that would be the end of our lives,” Marlowe said; he was overstating it for effect, since the both of them had already started planning their breakout once the guards had left them alone, but Balzac wasn’t about to say anything. All the better if Mailer thought they had given up. “Then, someone came for us; we didn’t know his name, not back then, but he was the man who changed our lives. He worked for the Allied Earth Military.”

 

“So, he took us in, and we started to train for undercover work,” he continued, setting in behind the bar as he and Marlowe brought Mailer over, looking into Mailer’s dull, frightened eyes so that he wouldn’t end up getting lost in memories; those were some of the best times of his life, even if they _had_ been some of the hardest. “First, we had to take a few tests. Then, they took us to a top-secret military installation and analyzed our potential. They found that Marlowe had an IQ of 180. And, they were so impressed with _my_ ability to pick pockets and my nerves of steel that they trained me to be an undercover spy.”

 

“We had no parents, nor any relatives,” Marlowe said, in a tone that would have let a more intelligent person know that there was something up. “We were always hungry and cold, but our futures were secure, thanks to you turning us in that one time.”

 

“That’s right,” he added, smiling in what anyone else would take to be an expression of happiness; and he _was_ happy, just not about what Mailer had been lead to believe. “So, you see, this is really a celebration,” he said, having just noticed Marlowe “fixing” Mailer’s drink. “It’s party time; drink up.”

 

“Thanks,” Mailer said, not suspecting a thing; the rat was about to get what was coming to him. “Thanks a lot.”

 

“To Mailer,” he said, as he, Marlowe, and a certain dead rat toasted.

 

“Thanks again,” Mailer said, having finished his glass in one gulp; watching as Mailer started choking on the little “pick me up” that Marlowe had slipped into his drink, Balzac smiled.

 

“You’re welcome,” he said to the corpse. “It’s always nice, running into an “old friend” like you.”

 

“He’s no fun,” Marlowe said, holding up his own glass of whiskey.  “He just fell right over.”

 

“That’s our way of saying thanks for ratting on us that time, old pal,” he said, smirking down at the corpse. “The jerk should have known we’d catch up with him, eventually. Yeah, here’s to you “old pal”, so nice running into you again.”

 

Barking a harsh chuckle, morbidly amused by the circumstances of their meeting here but amused all the same, Balzac smiled over at Marlowe as the two of them toasted each other at last.

 

1010010010

 

Muttering to herself as she continued checking the archaic systems that made up the defense-grid for this Texan antimatter-plant, Maggie sighed. She and Mac _definitely_ had their work cut out for them.

 

“These circuits are a _mess_ ,” Mac groused, from his position underneath one of the large banks of controls.

 

“You can say that again,” she said, looking into the open panel at the top. “I’m going to have to rewire some of this stuff.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Mac answered. “It certainly would help to have a schematic of the wiring, but it seems like _that’s_ too much to ask. What a lot of useless junk!”

 

“Hey, in its day, it was state-of-the-art,” she said off-handedly, continuing to mentally catalogue the wires, circuits, and conduits of the array she and Mac were currently working on. Most of them were hopelessly out of date; in their day they would have been easy to repair, but considering both the depletion of resources due to the war, and the fact that technology had inevitably advanced in the years since these plants had been shut down, Maggie knew that she and Mac were going to be doing one heck of a lot of improvising while they worked.

 

She just hoped that it would be enough.

 

00010010100

 

Listening to Saber’s deep, quiet breathing coming from behind him, Slade reflected that it _had_ been a good idea for them to sleep in shifts: nothing had happened so far, but with the threat of Spider-crabs attacking at any time, Slade knew that both of them needed to be in good condition to be able to fight them. And, even though they hadn’t had time to have a meal in the cafeteria like he knew the both of them would have honestly preferred, both he and Saber had both taken an extra box of rations when they’d come into the Blue Earth.

 

Now, with the ship patrolling the skies over the antimatter plant, and his younger twin dozing behind him, Slade found himself wondering just when the Radam were going to come. He knew they would; the energy that Mac and the Commander had said that this plant would be generating during its operation notwithstanding, the place was an obvious target for attacks. The fact that he and Saber were both right there would only sweeten the deal.

 

“What about the defense-system?” Star asked, continuing a conversation that Slade hadn’t been paying much attention to. “Have you repaired it?”

 

“This system’s really messed-up; I’m afraid it’s going to take us longer than we originally planned,” Mac reported. “We’re going to need at _least_ a couple more hours.”

 

“Well, the Military hasn’t arrived yet,” Ringo said, not sounding particularly happy about the situation; Slade didn’t blame him a bit. “We’re out here on our own, so hurry it up.”

 

“Just hope you finish before the aliens arrive,” Star said, sounding like she was trying to make a joke; none of them were really in the mood for gallows-humor, though, at least not anyone who was actually _awake_.

 

“We’ll do our best,” Mac said, sounding as serious as Slade had ever heard him. “But, as you all know, there’s not much time.”

 

“Hey, Slade,” Maggie said, having shoved Mac aside as she leaned in closer to the comm. screen. “How are you and Saber doing?”

 

“We’re fine,” he said. “Saber’s sleeping right now, so you’ll have to wait till later if you want to talk to _him_.”

 

“Aww,” Maggie cooed, smiling widely. “Can I see him; I’ll bet he looks _adorable_.”

 

“You should see those two when they curl up together after a bad day,” Ringo said, before Slade himself could think of a way to respond to that. “They look just like a pair of kittens. I’d have gotten a picture, if _certain people_ hadn’t broken my camera.”

 

“Ringo, I have it on good authority that Saber’s going to kick your ass if you ever try something like that again,” he said, looking back over his right shoulder at the Blue Earth’s pilot. “And, if he doesn’t, _I_ will.”

 

Maggie’s laughter was cut off when Mac terminated the connection. Settling more comfortably in the chair, at least as well as he could given the materials it was made of, Slade looked back out the forward windows. The sun was setting, spreading oranges, pinks, and reds into the sky, and he wished for a moment that he and Saber could have been watching it together; somewhere far away from anything that would try to hurt them. Somewhere far from the Radam and the war raging all around them.

 

“Are you feeling all right, Slade?” Star asked, bringing his focus back to what was happening here and now.

 

Here and now was all that he and Saber really had, anymore; Slade forced himself to remember that again. “I’m fine,” he said, still looking up into the darkening sky. “I think I might switch places with Saber soon, though. I don’t want to end up getting too tired.”

 

Turning his chair around so he could get a better view of his younger twin, Slade paused for a second just to look at him. Saber looked so peaceful when he slept, and for all that Slade didn’t want to disturb him, he knew that Saber wouldn’t be particularly happy with him if he let himself get too tired. Saber never liked it when Slade tried to protect him, at least not when Slade forgot to look after his own health in the process.

 

For a moment, Slade was tempted to wake his brother by flicking Saber’s nose; that was really more like something Ness or Cain Carter would have done. Saber might have done it, too, just because that was the kind of harmless thing that his younger twin would do to brake up the tension. And Slade _was_ starting to get a bit tense, knowing that he and Saber would soon be facing more of Darkon’s Spider-crabs; after the dream he’d had this morning, Slade still felt a bit uneasy.

 

He knew dreams weren’t real, but he couldn’t help how he felt.

 

“Saber,” he called, reaching out to shake his brother’s left shoulder. “Saber, it’s time for us to change shifts.”

 

Saber yawned, blinking and tilting his head a bit as he stretched. “All right,” Saber said, rising from his seat as the two of them traded places.

 

Settling himself down in Saber’s usual seat, Slade leaned back and tried to relax. His memory of the dream he’d had made it hard for him to relax, but Slade did as best he could. Closing his eyes, Slade tried to block out everything that might keep him from relaxing. It wasn’t as easy as he would have preferred, but he was eventually able to do it.

 

1110101001

 

As he made himself as comfortable as possible in Slade’s recently-vacated seat, Saber stifled a yawn. He’d still need a little time to wake up completely, but he was at least reasonably sure that he would be able to get the chance. He hadn’t been sensing any Radam activity while he’d been dozing in his usual seat, and while he knew that that wasn’t the end of things, Saber was willing to let himself relax as much as he could.

 

“How’re you holding up, Saber?” Ringo asked.

 

“I’m all right,” he said, shifting his seat so he could stretch his legs a bit more. “I think I could use a bit more time to wake up, though.”

 

“Well, I don’t know if you’ll be getting it,” Ringo muttered. “Those aliens could be coming at any minute.”

 

“Yeah,” he muttered, watching as the last of the light faded from the sky. “I know.”

 

It was full night by this time, the stars starting to blink on in the sky one-by-one as the sky around them grew darker. Turning his chair a bit so he could look over his right shoulder at Slade, Saber found that his brother was sleeping, though he didn’t look entirely peaceful. But then, Saber would have been hard-pressed to name a time when his brother _had_ looked entirely peaceful these days.

 

Something else that could be blamed on the Radam, he knew; they had a lot to answer for.

 

As the Blue Earth continued on her appointed patrol rounds, Saber found himself wondering if - for once - the AEM’s forces were going to get to them _before_ the Radam had the chance to start falling out of the sky to kill them all. It would have definitely been a welcome change of pace, even if they _did_ all seem to share Gault’s personality problems.

 

“Too quiet,” Ringo muttered, and in front of him, Saber winced; that wasn’t ever really a good thing to say. “Almost like the calm before the storm.”

 

And then, almost as if they’d just been waiting for someone to say something stupid like that, Saber began sensing a large swarm of Spider-crabs descending rapidly. Seconds later, the warning alarms tied into the Blue Earth’s radar went off, and Star’s voice rang out: “Alien bandits at one ‘o’clock! There must be an entire squadron of them! They’re heading straight for us, and they’re coming fast! Prepare to engage! Mac and Maggie, we’ve got a lot of company, you’d better watch yourselves! On your order, Commander!”

 

“Attack,” Commander Jamison said, his calm coming in loud and clear over the comm.

 

“Be careful out there, you guys,” Tina said. “Good luck, Blue Earth.”

 

“Thanks,” Saber said, already rising from his seat. “Slade,” he called, grabbing his brother’s shoulder and giving it a good shake. “Time to get going, brother. I don’t think the Spider-crabs are going to wait for us.”

 

Slade’s eyes opened, and his older twin paused for a moment, looking at him with an expression that Saber didn’t really have the time to stop and puzzle over. “They’re here?” Slade asked after a blink, though it sounded more like a statement.

 

“A lot of them,” he answered, nodding once. “Let’s get going.”

 

“Right.”

 

His older twin seemed to have gotten over whatever it was that had been bothering him a lot quicker than he had the last time he’d been having trouble, but as the two of them made their way into the Blue Earth’s airlock, Saber made up his mind that he would keep an eye on Slade as best he could. It was always possible that Slade was shoving his problems aside so Saber would know to worry about him. _Leave it to my dearest spaz to make trouble for himself that way,_ Saber mused, rolling his eyes briefly.

 

When the airlock doors had sealed shut behind them the way they always did, Saber concentrated briefly, retrieving his teknocrystal from its usual resting place; wherever the hell _that_ was. Taking a few seconds to make sure that Slade was getting into Pegas, and finding that his spaz of a twin brother actually _was_ , Saber breathed a short sigh of relief; it looked like he _wasn’t_ going to have to knock some sense into Slade the way he’d been starting to think he would.

 

“Tekno-power!” he shouted, holding up his crystal the way he always did.

 

Pacing Pegas as his brother’s battle-robot made its way out among the Spider-crabs that were basically raining out of the sky, Saber landed on the back of it in his full armor, just as the top hatch burst open and Slade flew out. Watching as his older twin did his usual pre-battle flip, landing on Pegas’ back just in front of him, Saber drew his teknolance just before Slade did the same.

 

_[Saber?]_

_[I’m here, brother,]_ he said, trying to sound calm; Slade had sounded a bit too tense for his peace of mind. _[What’s up?]_

_[Just... just stay close, all right?]_

_[Brother, you know I love you,]_ he said, as the two of them riding Pegas made it into the main bulk of the descending Spider-crab swarm. _[But you worry_ entirely _too much.]_ Leaping from Pegas’ back, aiming for a particularly thick knot of Spider-crabs, he tossed off a salute with his teknolance. _[Catch up with you in a bit, big brother!]_

Hacking and slashing his way through the knot of Spider-crabs in front of him, Saber darted through the air quickly, seeking out particularly thick-clustered groups of Spider-crabs; he knew that Slade wasn’t at his best for the moment, so Saber was going to do what he could to support him. It was what they always did for each other, and he wasn’t about to start slacking off now.

 

1001001001

 

Watching Saber, as his younger twin ripped through the Spider-crabs all around him like cheap cloth, Slade once again found himself amazed by his brother’s resilience. They’d both had a bad time with Darkon’s forces, and Saber had nearly been _killed_ just a couple days ago, but there he was, taking on the Spider-crabs like he didn’t have a care in the world. _I’ll watch your back, brother,_ he vowed silently, gripping the shaft of his teknolance all the tighter. _Thanks for showing me the way._

 

Directing Pegas into the main swarm, making sure to stay out of Saber’s way as his younger twin darted all over the sky in his pursuit of the Spider-crabs he was hunting, Slade raised his own teknolance and began to attack. Shaking off a flash from his nightmare last night, having seen _Star_ in place of one of his targets, Slade bisected the Spider-crab and quickly moved on.

 

The sight of a nearby Spider-crab exploding when he wasn’t near it, and Saber was clear on the other side of him, prompted Slade to look back down along the trajectory of the shot. He didn’t know just what he’d been expecting to see down there, but he was still surprised to see Maggie sitting behind a large anti-aircraft gun, waving up at them.

 

 _[Hey, brother,]_ Saber called, sounding amused. _[I think Maggie wants to get in on the action, too.]_

_[Yeah, I saw,]_ he said, waving to Maggie from his position on Pegas’ back; he might not have _needed_ the help, but it was always nice to have someone else on his side.

 

Turning his attention back to the Spider-crabs that were still swarming all around them, occasionally pausing to shake off yet another flash from his nightmare - it seemed like they were getting worse, but since Saber was still fighting, he wasn’t going to say anything - Slade continued to batter, slice, and slash his way through the still-descending swarm; the only thing that he could really find it in himself to be thankful for was the fact that Spear wasn’t attacking right now.

 

Moving a bit slower as his mental fatigue began to take its toll - even with his personal vow not to let what he was seeing affect him, cutting through what looked like his friends and fellow Space Knights was still difficult for him - Slade stopped dead in mid-swing as he saw Saber right in front of him. His younger twin was bleeding out through a deep gash in his stomach, and there was blood spilling out over his lower lip and down his chin.

 

Just as he was about to reach out for Saber, to carry his younger twin back to the Blue Earth and demand that Ringo fly them all back to the Command Center as fast as he could, something ripped through his younger twin’s body. When the cloud that had been thrown up around Saber and whatever it was that had just murdered him - whatever Slade was going to kill next - Slade saw... _Saber_ , in full armor and with his teknolance still bared.

 

 _[Is your brain still working in there, big brother?]_ Saber asked, as Slade heard armored knuckles rapping on his helmet. _[It was just a Spider-crab.]_

_[Sorry,]_ he said, feeling sheepish for falling for another hallucination when he’d been doing all right against them beforehand.

 

 _[Well, don’t freak out on me, spaz,]_ Saber chided; Slade looked down slightly, embarrassed. _[There’s still a lot more here that we have to take care of.]_

_[Right,]_ he said, sighing briefly as he turned his attention back outward. _[Thanks for your help, Saber.]_

_[No problem, brother.]_

 

Steeling himself again against what he was going to be facing, Slade glanced back down at Maggie just in time to see the anti-aircraft gun that she had been manning explode pretty spectacularly. “Maggie!”

 

 _[I’ve got this, brother,]_ Saber called. _[You just keep the rest of those Spider-crabs off my back.]_

_[Right,]_ he said, nodding sharply as he raised his teknolance. _[Just be careful down there, little brother.]_

Saber chuckled. _[I will.]_

 

01010010010

 

As he dove down to where Maggie was laying after she’d been blown free of the anti-aircraft gun she’d been using to take out some of the swarming Spider-crabs, Saber decided that it would be better for him if he transformed back. He was starting to feel a bit worn out, and while he _could_ have continued fighting for a few more minutes more before he really started to run out of strength in any meaningful way, but Maggie looked injured, so it was probably better that he shed the armor; both so that he would have more energy, and so that he wouldn’t have to deal with the extra bulk while he was trying to work.

 

Landing on the tarmac about ten or so feet from where Maggie sat, not having wanted to risk drawing the attention of any Spider-crabs that might have tried to follow him down to where she was, and not wanting to chance her getting burned by his thruster-backwash as he landed, Saber let his transformation fade and ran over to where Maggie was sprawled. He was just about to call to her, to ask her if she was more injured than she looked, when he saw the blood leaking from her knee.

 

“Hey, Mags,” he said, trying to project calm with his voice as he knelt down next to her legs. “Thanks for all the help you gave us out there,” he smiled, feeling reassured when Maggie smiled back at him.

 

“It was nothing, really,” Maggie said, clearly more focused on him than on the injury to her leg that he was checking out as they spoke. “I wasn’t about to let those nasty old crab-creatures hurt _my_ Teknomen.”

 

Saber laughed; he couldn’t help it, that was just such a “Maggie” thing to say. “Well, why don’t you just sit back and let someone help _you_ now, eh?”

 

“No objections here,” Maggie said wryly.

 

Taking off his Space Knight vest, tossing it to Maggie with a quick request for her to hold it, Saber shucked his shirt and grabbed the bottom of it. Tearing a few strips off, since there was nothing else for him to use for bandages out here and no real way for him to flag down the Blue Earth in time for anyone onboard to be of much help, Saber tossed his shirt over once he was finished with it.

 

When he’d made what he felt was at least a passable bandage, at least something that would hold until they all made it back to the Command Center where Maggie could have her wound checked out by one of the doctors, Saber looked back up to ask for his shirt back. That was when Maggie pounced.

 

As their lips met in one of the more aggressive kisses that Saber had been given over the course of his life, Saber at first thought that it was her way of thanking him; it really was something that fit with the kind of person that Maggie had shown herself to be. Still, after a few moments, when Maggie had wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him close, and more than that when she seemed to be trying to count his molars with her tongue, Saber started to think that he really shouldn’t let her take this whole thing any farther than she obviously was.

 

1010010010

 

When Saber had transformed out of his large, imposing Teknoman form in front of her, she’d been happy to see him. Sure, there were hundreds of Spider-crabs in the air all around them, descending down on them like the walls of any number of collapsing buildings, and the Blue Earth and Slade were both circling over them in an effort to fight them off, but with Saber in front of her things didn’t seem so bad.

 

Then, when Saber had sat down next to her and started ripping his vest and shirt off, she’d been even happier to see him there. Watching as Saber bandaged her bleeding knee, her right hand resting on the clothes he had taken off, Maggie glanced down at the white shirt that Saber had tossed into her lap. While Saber continued to work on patching up her leg, she picked up the shirt that Saber had left with her. Inhaling the soft, musky scent that he’d left on the piece of clothing that he’d been wearing, Maggie smiled; she’d _never_ had the chance to get this close to Slade.

 

When Saber looked up, obviously meaning to ask for the rest of his clothes back, she leaned forward and gave him a deep, long kiss. Moving forward slightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in a bit closer so she could kiss him more deeply. Opening one eye as she heard the shrieks of Spider-crabs and the distinctive sounds of the Blue Earth’s laser-cannons firing, she caught sight of something that was completely, utterly out of place.

 

It looked like some kind of a Teknoman, but that wasn’t possible; Slade was still in the air, though it looked like he was more interested in keeping an eye on them than in hunting down the rest of the Spider-crabs circling around them; and Saber was... well, busy at the moment. The not-a-Teknoman was shooting down any Spider-crab that got in its range, occasionally stopping to look down at them.

 

When she inevitably loosened her grip on Saber, her attention having been effectively distracted by the strange, inexplicable apparition in front of her, Saber sat back on his knees and gave her a lopsided sort of smile.

 

“Well, _that_ was certainly different,” he said, then he seemed to notice what she was staring at. “Hey, Mags, what is it? Is there something interesting behind-”

 

Saber stopped there, having turned around to look at the not-a-Teknoman that was standing atop the building behind them. She didn’t know where it had come from, or what it wanted, but since it _had_ been destroying Spider-crabs, that meant that there wasn’t much chance that it was affiliated with the Radam. Still, that _did_ beg the question of just where this not-a-Teknoman - whatever it actually _was_ \- had come from.


	17. The Visitor

“What in the _hell_?” he muttered, looking up at the strange, unearthly apparition that had just appeared.

 

It wasn’t a Teknoman; he would have sensed it even _with_ Maggie kissing him if it had been, but he wondered all the same what it actually _was_. He was so absorbed in attempting to figure out just who and what this newcomer could possibly be, that he barely noticed Mac coming up to where he and Maggie were sitting.

 

“Saber,” the Space Knights’ head mechanic said, jolting Saber out of his contemplation by the simple expedient of grabbing his right shoulder and giving it a good, firm shake. “Have you ever seen a Teknoman like that one before, lad?”

 

“It’s not a Teknoman,” he said, as he and Maggie were helped back to their feet - Maggie still holding his vest, Saber noted vaguely - and he let Maggie lean on him for extra support. “I don’t know exactly what it _is_ , but if it was a Teknoman, I would have sensed it before it got here.”

 

Mac gave him sort of a strange look after he’d said that, but it was the truth and Saber wasn’t about to take it back. He sensed Slade coming up behind them, just before he heard the subtle thunder of his older twin’s armored footsteps.

 

_(Saber, are you all right?)_

_(Fine, brother,)_ he said, most of his attention still taken up by the strange figure standing in front of him. _(Do you have any idea just who or what_ this _might be?)_

_(No,)_ Slade said, and Saber could tell that his older twin would have shaken his head if the two of them had been facing each other. “Identify yourself!”

 

Slade’s shout was obviously directed at the guy in the armor, but all they - Saber didn’t really know whether it was a man or a woman inside that thing, so he wasn’t going to make any assumptions - did was raise the oversized rifle they had been carrying. Most of the others, even Slade, tensed up. Whipping around, the sense of hostility coming more from behind him than from the front, Saber saw a Spider-crab descending to attack.

 

The blast of bright, green-blue light enveloped the Spider-crab, wiping it out of the sky with the same ease as one of his or Slade’s Tekno-bolts. It was kind of a strange thing to see: someone else being able to destroy Spider-crabs with the same ease that he and Slade displayed; at least someone who _wasn’t_ in a gunship or the Blue Earth. Still, it _was_ only a Spider-crab in the end; for all their strength and ferocity, they were really only the Radam’s basic cannon-fodder.

 

It wasn’t like this new guy had destroyed a _Teknoman_ with that gun, or anything.

 

The armored figure leapt from the building where it had been standing, shooting down several more Spider-crabs with what Saber decided he was going to call a death-ray blaster even if he _did_ end up learning what the thing was really called. It was kind of interesting to see that he could fly, but then again if this thing really _was_ meant to take on Spider-crabs, then it _would_ have been pretty stupid not to have flight capability; the armor would have made one hell of an easy target if it was stuck on the ground all the time.

 

 _(Pretty interesting weapons-system, eh brother?)_ he asked, having turned with the other Space Knights to watch as the newcomer blasted the remaining airborne Spider-crabs with its death-ray blaster.

 

 _(Eh, I’ll give it a seven,)_ Slade responded, clearly trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing; Saber wasn’t quite buying it. _(It’s all brute-force; no finesse at all.)_

_(I suppose you_ would _know best, Mr. Hulk Smash,)_ he said, hearing the high whine of the Blue Earth’s engines as the rest of their fellow Space Knights joined up with them.

 

 _(Wiseass,)_ was Slade’s only response.

 

The remaining Spider-crabs, the ones on the ground who _hadn’t_ faced him, Slade, or that new guy’s death-ray blaster, started to burrow away. Saber considered going after them, but quickly dismissed the idea; transforming and fighting on an empty stomach was really not the best idea in the world, and he probably wouldn’t get to them in time to make much of a difference, anyway. Instead, he and Slade both watched as the newcomer finished off the remaining Spider-crabs and then landed.

 

Star and Ringo came out of the Blue Earth then, Saber heard them walking up behind him, and turned to look over his right shoulder at them.

 

“So,” Ringo began, looking from him to the armored figure now standing in front of them. “Who’s the new guy? Either of you asked him his name, yet?”

 

“Asked him _how_?” Saber queried, though he had an idea of what Ringo might have been getting at; he was probably going to have to correct a few misconceptions before the conversation was over. “He’s been jumping around in the air, shooting down Spider-crabs all this time.”

 

“C’mon, Saber,” Ringo said, smirking and tilting his head towards the armored newcomer; Saber really _would_ have liked to know their name, come to think of it. “The Commander told me all about that “selective telepathy” of yours. He said that it works on every Teknoman out there. I figured _you_ at least would have been chatting with the new guy,” Ringo slanted a glance at Slade. “Unlike certain unsociable people I could mention.”

 

“Did the Commander happen to mention that our telepathy _only_ works on other Teknomen?” he asked, turning some of his attention to the transports that were beginning to settle to the ground in a neat semi-circle in front of them. “Or that we can all sense each other when we’re close by?”

 

“You’re telling me that you _can’t_ do that with this guy?” Ringo asked, his eyebrows both raised slightly.

 

“No,” Slade said, speaking aloud for the first time in awhile. “If this really _had_ been a Teknoman, Saber and I would both have sensed him before he got this close. Even if he was trying to shield his thoughts, like we do sometimes, we still would have known he was _there_.”

 

“So that’s how your telepathy works?” Star asked, coming over to stand beside them; though she was closer to Slade than to him, Saber noted with a bit of amusement.

 

“It is,” he nodded. “Does anyone know just who those transports belong to?”

 

“It looks like Colonel Bogard’s squad,” Ringo said, after studying the transports for a bit; Saber didn’t know just what he’d been looking at, since this group of transports didn’t have any distinguishing markings that _he_ could see, but Ringo had been working with the AEM for longer than he had, so Saber was willing to trust his judgment.

 

When the transports had landed, disgorging uniformed Military personnel, Saber sighed; at least they’d be able to get back to the Command Center soon. That armored thing was good enough to take on Spider-crabs, though he wasn’t willing to give it very good odds against an actual Teknoman, and the thought of being able to have some actual _food_ , not to mention sleep, was far more appealing to him then just flying around in the Blue Earth trying to deal with the Radam’s cannon-fodder. He was willing to bet that Slade felt just the same.

 

“An excellent demonstration,” said an old man; probably the Colonel Bogard that Ringo had mentioned. “I’m quite pleased. Your creation is a complete success, Marlowe,” he said over his shoulder; there was someone with dark skin, and black hair in a pageboy cut, standing behind him and just to his left.

 

“Thanks, Colonel,” the other man, clearly named Marlowe, said, ducking his head slightly.

 

“He _made_ that thing?” Star asked, sounding startled.

 

“That’s pretty incredible,” Ringo added.

 

“I _heard_ Marlowe was working on some top-secret project,” Maggie said; he looked over at her, vaguely interested. He hadn’t known she’d even known that guy.

 

“Well, from what I’ve seen, I’d say this is it,” Mac said, sounding interested. “It’s almost like having a _third_ Teknoman on our side.”

 

 _(Almost, but not quite,)_ Slade added, and Saber snickered softly.

 

_(True.)_

 

This new guy might have the power to deal with Spider-crabs, but anyone with a good enough gun and enough maneuverability not to get caught up in their crossfire could do the same. It was like he’d told O’Roarke when they’d met up with him: Spider-crabs were just dumb, mutant space insects. They were only really dangerous when they swarmed you.

 

It was the Teknomen that you really had to watch out for.

 

“There’s no Z-tron breakdown, despite near-continuous firing of your weapon,” Marlowe said, opening up a panel on the front of the armored figure’s death-ray blaster so that he could get a look inside. “It’s even better than I’d hoped for.”

 

“You’re too modest, Marlowe,” said a voice from inside the armor; for a moment Saber thought, in spite of the slight, filtered-sounding distortion of the voice, he could almost tell who it was. “It’s a brilliant invention.”

 

Once the pilot had finished talking, the armor itself - clearly an armored suit of some kind - began to open up: the armor over the arms split down the middle with a brief crackle of electrical energy; then both legs opened at once, and Saber saw that, whoever it was inside that thing, they were wearing a dull gray bodysuit. The front of the armor rose upward with a soft, mechanical whirr. The man inside was particularly familiar; one might say _unpleasantly_ familiar.

 

“Ah, how nice of you Space Knights to come,” Balzac, of all people, said with a smirk. “You all look stunning; or is that “stunned”? Don’t you recognize me without a camera?”

 

“Balzac, how nice to see you again,” he said, Maggie still leaning against his side; he didn’t _exactly_ snap, but no one with half a working brain would have thought that he was honestly _happy_ about the situation.

 

“Well, Maggie, I’d ask if you liked me better without the beard, but it looks like you’re already spoken for,” Balzac said, not seeming to care in the slightest that no one was particularly pleased to see him. “Nice work getting yourself some action out there, Casanova,” Balzac continued, now smirking directly at him.

 

“Balzac, would you mind telling us what’s actually _going_ _on_ here?” Star demanded, before Saber could come up with a particularly crushing retort to what Balzac had just said.

 

“I always suspected you were more than just some reporter,” Ringo said. “But, how come _you’re_ piloting that mechanical monster?”

 

“ _Monster_?” Balzac echoed with obviously fake surprise, removing his helmet, tossing it aside, and making his way slowly, deliberately over to where Saber, Slade, Maggie, Mac, Star, and Ringo were all standing. “I’d say, the only monster around here is right _there_!” Balzac finished, pointing dramatically at Slade.

 

Sharing a semi-amused glance with his still-armored brother, Saber smirked slightly. “You mind repeating that?” he heard Slade ask, as they both turned to look back at Balzac.

 

“You heard me, freak,” Balzac said, still grinning. “You know what this freak tried to do, Marlowe?” Balzac called back over his left shoulder.

 

“No,” Marlowe said, sounding like he was either playing along with Balzac or he was somehow interested in something that wasn’t any of his business; whatever it was, Saber didn’t like it. “What _did_ he do, Balzac?”

 

“Three days ago, Slade here tried to strangle Saber to death,” Balzac continued, pointing at him with his right thumb. “And, what makes it even _worse_ is that Saber’s actually his twin brother.” Marlowe didn’t say anything, but that didn’t make Saber’s desire to clock Balzac even one iota less powerful. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask you this, Saber,” Balzac continued, now looking directly at him and obviously having dismissed Slade from his mind entirely. “Why _are_ you still hanging around with him? We all _know_ how unstable he is, so why don’t you come back to Headquarters with me? I know the General would be really happy to have you.”

 

“You know, it really amazes me how you think I’m going to do anything with that offer of yours besides tell you to _shove it up your ass_ ,” he said, deliberately making his voice sound light and cheerful; Saber wasn’t going to give that asshole the satisfaction of knowing he’d pissed him off.

 

“So, Slade, what does the big hero think of Marlowe’s new Tek-armor suit?” Balzac asked as he walked over to them, after giving Saber a sort of considering look; if he was planning to bring that bullshit up again, though, Saber was going to punch him. AEM soldiers or no AEM soldiers. “Come on, tell us. You saw it: I destroyed twenty Spider-crabs while you just stood there and watched me. Nothing to say?” Balzac asked, after only a short pause. “I’m sure you’re bright enough to have realized by now you’re obsolete; what good’s a Teknoman who goes haywire after a thirty-minute time limit?”

 

 _(He’s not_ actually _stupid enough to suggest that his little tin-suit is good for anything_ besides _destroying Spider-crabs without hard evidence, is he?)_ Saber asked, hovering indecisively between amusement and sheer annoyance. On the one hand, this _was_ Balzac they were dealing with here, but on the other hand, what he was actually _saying_ was so stupid it really couldn’t be anything but funny.

 

Slade didn’t say anything.

 

“So, why don’t you do us all a favor and just deactivate yourself, before you lose control again, and end up hurting someone who _won’t_ keep taking your side in defiance of all common sense?” Having let go of Maggie’s waist when Mac had moved to support her more completely, Saber moved to stand closer to his brother. Balzac looked over at him, and then edged slightly back, smirking all the while. “Someone who’d see you for what you really are. Monster.”

 

That was the last straw. “Why don’t _you_ just do everyone a favor and shut the hell up?” he demanded.

 

“Still looking out for him?” Balzac smirked at him in a way that made Saber long to pound on the arrogant little bastard until he’d be lucky if he had _un_ broken bones. “You know, Saber, there _is_ such a thing as too much loyalty. Though, if you wanted to come work for the General, I’m sure _he’d_ be able to appreciate you. I’m sure he wouldn’t try to kill you, either.”

 

“You _talk_ too much,” he snarled, stalking forward even as Balzac continued to give ground, smirking all the way.

 

“Saber, please; you don’t think I’m actually stupid enough to stay in your punching-range, do you?” Balzac grinned. “Especially after what happened the day before yesterday.”

 

Saber paused, then smiled; he smiled in a way that would have let anyone who knew him, anyone who actually _remembered_ his various smiles, that he wasn’t happy at all. “You know, you’re absolutely right,” he said, sounding light and cheerful as could be.

 

Balzac folded like an empty sack around the front snap-kick that Saber slammed into his crotch, and Saber smirked slightly as he curled defensively around the injured area. That had probably been a stupid thing to do, provoking Balzac when there were so many of the AEM’s personnel in the area, but _damn_ if it hadn’t been satisfying. When Balzac started _laughing_ , still curled up on the tarmac and sounding a bit higher-pitched than he had before, Saber was slightly confused.

 

He’d known that Balzac had personality problems - no one who’d ever known the man for more than half a day could fail to notice _that_ \- but he hadn’t quite suspected that the man was _that_ crazy.

 

“You know,” Balzac said, wheezing a bit as he clearly struggled to get his wind back. “I really should have expected you to do something like that. You smiled _just_ like that before you punched me in the face, too.”

 

In no mood to deal with Balzac and his obviously myriad psychosis’s, and having just noticed that Slade had turned his back and was walking back over to Pegas, Saber hurried after his older twin without a look back.

 

010010001

 

 _(I_ know _you’re not stupid enough to be taking what that asshole said seriously, big brother,)_ Saber said, in a tone that suggested that his younger twin was going to be annoyed with him if he was.

 

He knew he shouldn’t, he knew that Saber would have shaken it off just as quickly as he had the things that Balzac had been saying to _him_ , but then Saber always had been the stronger one. And hearing _that_ , being called... _that_ , remembering what he’d nearly done to Saber after Spear had twisted him around so badly that he couldn’t even remember who he was now, much less be able to tell friend from foe... he couldn’t deal with it like Saber could.

 

He just wasn’t that strong.

 

1001001001

 

As Marlowe helped him back to his feet, a smile, secretly-amused smile on his oldest and best friend’s face, Balzac concentrated on his breathing. He was still a bit sore from where a certain blue-eyed freak brother had kicked him, but he’d taken worse hits back in the slums.

 

“Well, he _was_ certainly interesting,” Marlowe said, smirking contemplatively over at the blue-eyed freak.

 

“Didn’t I tell you he would be?” he returned, smiling back at his old friend; there were still a few things they had to take care of, things the General wanted them to do, before he’d be able to make more than a cursory effort to get Saber to come to his senses. He was sure if he worked on the freak enough, he could grind down his resistance; it would take time, sure, but it wasn’t like he had any pressing deadlines at the moment.

 

“Well, Marlowe, our dream is about to come true,” he said, putting aside his tentative plans for dealing with Saber. “All these years, ever since we were growing up in that horrible slum, _this_ is the day we’ve been waiting for. Now that you’ve perfected the Tek-armor, it’s all within our grasp: fame, fortune, _power_.” Smiling up at the Tekno-suit that Marlowe and his Sci-Division had worked so hard to perfect, Balzac felt a supreme sense of vindication.

 

“I’m starting to believe it, myself,” Marlowe added, and Balzac smiled.

 

“And, if all that wasn’t enough to make us happy, a certain pair of freak-brothers are on their way out.”

 

He didn’t believe that he’d seen the last of Saber; oh no, _that_ freak was mentally resilient enough to shrug anything said by a person he didn’t like right off. And anyone with eyes and a functioning brain could see that Saber plainly hated him. No, _Slade_ was clearly going to be the one most effected by what he’d been saying; which, while predictable, was a good thing considering that the harsh rigors of life in the AEM weren’t for the faint of heart.

 

As he continued to admire Marlowe’s handiwork in the low light, Balzac considered what his goals were going to be; sure, this new suit of his wasn’t going to be the only one in existence for very long, especially considering the fact that Marlowe and his Sci-Division had so much data to work with, but the suit was still _his_. To someone who hadn’t had much that they could honestly call their own for most of their lifetime, that counted for a hell of a lot.

 

10010010100

 

Standing at ease inside Comm. One, Hamilton Jamison, Commander of the Space Knights, continued to observe the goings-on out in the field. These new developments, while good for the war-effort as a whole, would obviously not be beneficial to Slade’s mental health. To say nothing of the obvious antagonism that Balzac had displayed toward Slade - Jamison wondered for a moment if his attitude toward Saber was merely a front, or if he did feel a genuine sense of kinship with the young man, before dismissing his musings as both unlikely to be answered and unimportant in the grand scheme of things - Gault would obviously be rushing to produce as many of those “Tekno-suits” as he could.

 

Slade’s need to feel useful, combined with the mental anguish that he had been put through by the Teknoman named Spear, was bound to have an adverse effect on the young man’s psyche under these circumstances. However, he could at least find solace in the fact that Saber was with him, and that Slade’s brother would do whatever he thought was necessary to ensure that Slade remained mentally healthy.

 

“Balzac is just a reporter, Commander,” Tina said, clearly shocked by what she’d seen “Why is he piloting that-?”

 

“I’m afraid he was never “just a reporter”, Tina,” he said. “He’s one of Gault’s spies. Sent here to steal data on the Tekno-power System; it would appear that he’s succeeded. And now Marlowe, Gault’s top scientist, has used that information to construct an armored Tekno-suit, with weaponry that can almost match that of either Slade or Saber individually.”

 

“That’s amazing,” Tina said.

 

He agreed with her, it _was_ amazing that Marlowe had been able to produce such a thing so quickly even _with_ the data that Jamison himself had chosen to provide for him. Jamison didn’t like the implications of such a weapons-system in Gault’s hands, but he also knew that the alternative was not particularly favorable to his Space Knights. If he had denied Balzac the data that he had sought at the end of his mission, it was entirely too likely that Gault would demand that both Slade and Saber be turned over to him for study.

 

He would have had a great deal of leverage, considering the state of their war against the Radam, and Jamison had not been about to trust the wellbeing of even one of his Space Knights - particularly a mentally delicate person such as Slade had proven himself to be - to a committee who would likely not take either of the twins’ mental health into consideration in light of the power that they offered. The Space Knights were under his command, thus that meant that they were his responsibility. He would not see any of them taken advantage of, even under such trying circumstances as these.

 

01001001010

 

He’d grabbed Saber’s hand more out of impulse than any real thought, not wanting to be alone with Balzac’s words still echoing in his head. Saber had tried to lighten the mood a bit while the two of them were walking, and while he hadn’t responded out loud to any of his younger twin’s jibes or puns, Slade was glad to have him there. He didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t have Saber with him, and no matter what Slade didn’t want to find out.

 

When he finally made it back to the quarters that he’d been assigned while they were all staying in Texas, Saber had quieted down and was clearly either waiting on him to say something, or planning to yell at Slade for dragging him around the way he’d been doing. Slade wasn’t quite sure which, since for the moment he was more focused on getting to his bed so that he could lay down and just _not think_ for awhile, but he would face whatever it was when the time came. It was the least he could do after dragging his younger twin around like he was.

 

Making his way over to his bed, still clutching Saber’s right hand as tightly as he could without hurting his younger twin, Slade flopped down on it and sighed. Hearing the dull thunk of Saber’s boots as his brother kicked them off, Slade looked up for a moment. Saber was leaning back against the wall, and after the two of them had shared a knowing look, Slade waited while Saber shifted so he was sitting closer to the head of the bed, then put his head in his younger twin’s lap and tried to relax as Saber stroked his hair.

 

It felt nice, especially after everything that had happened today.

 

Just as he was starting to relax, the feel of his younger twin’s fingers combing through his hair letting Slade begin to forget the things that Balzac had been saying to him, Slade heard the door of his quarters opening. He wondered for a moment just why someone would be coming to see him right now, before deciding that it wasn’t really important. It wasn’t as if he was really in the mood to talk, and Saber would get rid of whoever it was if they got too noisy.

 

Forcing himself to relax as Saber’s fingers resumed their motion through his hair, Slade tried not to think about the fact that there were four more people in his personal quarters besides Saber; people he _hadn’t_ implicitly invited when he’d left the Blue Earth’s temporary hangar.

 

“Well, don’t you two look cozy,” he heard Ringo say, with a soft chuckle.

 

“Ringo, that’s not what we’re here to discuss.” There was a slight warning in Star’s tone, and Slade was glad for in; with everything that had gone on today, he didn’t think he could deal with Ringo’s teasing, good-natured as it was.

 

“Right,” he heard Mac say, so he at least knew three of the four people that had decided to come into his quarters. “What did Tina say to you, Star?”

 

“She said that the Commander _knew_ Balzac was a spy,” Star said.

 

“Right,” Ringo groused. “And he just decided to keep Balzac around because he enjoyed his wonderful personality. I’d like to wring Balzac’s scrawny little _neck_ ,” Ringo’s voice sounded more like a growl at that point, but then he chuckled. “Nice kick, though, Saber; wish I could have gotten a picture of the look on his face when you connected.

 

“That makes two of us,” he heard Saber say, and he could both hear and sense his younger twin’s amusement.

 

“If the Commander _did_ know Balzac was a spy, he must have been hoping to feed him phony information,” Mac said, obviously trying to bring the conversation back on track.

 

“Doesn’t make much sense to _me_ ,” Ringo said, sounding serious again. “But, it looks like whatever information he got was the real thing. Marlowe’s new Tek-armor uses Z-Tron weaponry, just like our boys here, and you all know what _that_ means.”

 

“Gault will build Tekno-suits by the thousands,” Star said; Slade tried not to think about that, about what it _meant_.

 

“But if _that’s_ true, there would be nothing left for either of the twins to do.” It looked like Maggie was the fourth person in his room, Slade noted dully.

 

“That might actually be a good thing,” Saber said; Slade wondered for a moment just what his brother might have been thinking, and then decided to wait. Saber was probably going to explain his reasoning on his own, even without one of the others prompting him “It’ll be nice not to have to go out and fight Spider-crabs all the time.”

 

“What do you mean, Saber?” Star asked. “You don’t _actually_ think that Gault would limit those Tekno-suits of his to just fighting the Spider-crabs, do you?”

 

“No,” Saber said, and Slade could practically hear the smug little smirk on his younger twin’s face. “But I’m pretty sure that’s what’s going to going to end up happening. Good as those suits of theirs seem right now, they’ve never been tested against a real Teknoman.”

 

“Why didn’t you say that to Balzac, then?” he heard Ringo ask. “It might’ve knocked him off that high-horse of his.”

 

“Ringo, if I’d laughed in his face and told him to get back to me when he’d fought a real Teknoman, the way I would have probably done if we’d stayed any longer, Balzac would have thought I was challenging him.”

 

“Yeah,” Ringo said, sounding like he was wearing one of his more amused grins. “He probably would have; he’s kinda stupid like that.”

 

“Well, I say it doesn’t matter _how_ many of those Tekno-suits Gault makes,” he heard Star say, and he was touched by the sincerity in her tone. “No one can just replace you, _either_ of you. You and Slade are the best things that ever happened for Earth.”

 

Sighing, trying to recollect himself after he’d fallen apart a bit, Slade realized that he needed a bit more space. Even Saber’s fingers combing through his hair, as nice and relaxing as it felt, wasn’t quite enough to settle him down anymore. He couldn’t stay here, at least not right now.

 

Grabbing Saber’s hand as he levered himself up and out of the bed, ignoring the questioning stares and inquiries from the other Space Knights, Slade made for the door of his temporary quarters.

 

“I just... I need to think,” he said, in response to Star calling to him.

 

He felt Saber’s right shoulder gently bump against his, and Slade smiled softly enough that he didn’t think anyone would see it. No matter what else happened, no matter what else went wrong in his life as it was now, Saber would always be with him. Slade knew that, now; he knew that he could trust his younger brother to stand beside him through anything.

 

It was a good feeling: having someone to trust so completely. And, as the two of them made their way to the bunker where Pegas had been stored while they were all staying here in Texas, Slade decided to take it easy for a bit; Saber was right, it _would_ be nice not to have to go out and fight Spider-crabs all the time.

 

110101001001

 

Standing behind Marlowe as his old friend monitored the production of the Z-tron that would give the Tekno-suits that the rest of his Sci-Division were going to construct for them, Balzac couldn’t help but smile. Sure, this was just the first step toward taking back their planet from the Radam and all of their pet freaks, but it was an important one for all of that. After all, everything had to start _somewhere_.

 

“If the Accelerator maintains this rate of synthesis, our estimates indicate that we should have enough Z-tron for another test in about an hour,” Marlowe said, clearly more absorbed in the workings of the particle accelerator than in what he was saying.

 

“Report, Colonel Bogard,” the General ordered, appearing on the comm. screen off to their left. “Tell me how our little project is proceeding.”

 

“Extremely well, General,” the Colonel reported, as Balzac composed himself and Marlowe rose to his feet as they all turned to fully face the screen.

 

“I’m glad to hear it,” the General said. “We’re still on schedule, then. You will shift the plant to full production of Tekno-armor as soon as possible,” he ordered.

 

“As you wish, sir,” the Colonel said.

 

“And, as for you, Lieutenant Balzac.” the General said, pausing for a moment while Balzac acknowledged him. “I watched the recording of your battle with the Spider-crabs yesterday with great interest. A most impressive display; in fact, I’m promoting you to Major, effective immediately.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” he said, inclining his head slightly.

 

“You will be in charge of training all Tekno-armored personnel,” the General said, examining a pipe that he held in his hands. “Marlowe, you are hereby named head of this laboratory: I want you to bring the Z-tron to Washington for an official demonstration. Well, any questions?”

 

“Consider it done, General,” he said, squaring his shoulders slightly as he felt his new rank settle on them like an intangible mantle.

 

“You can count on us, sir,” Marlowe said.

 

“Keep up the good work, men,” General Gault said, before signing off.

 

“You know,” Marlowe said, after taking a moment to recompose himself. “I could end up the head of the entire Space Science Agency.”

 

He hummed softly in agreement. “We’re on our way,” he said, reaching out to firmly clasp hands with the oldest, best, and really the _only_ friend he’d really had in his life.

 

“Wake me up if I’m dreaming, Balzac,” Marlowe said softly; Balzac swallowed a chuckle.

 

“You’re awake,” he reassured. “And this is only the beginning, believe me.”

 

He smiled, then, his eyes narrowing in pleasure; there would still be things to do before they could take some time to get used to their new roles, and with the invasion still in full swing there would likely always be things they _needed_ to do, but for here and now Balzac felt that he could just let himself enjoy what had just happened to them. He’d known that he’d done one hell of a number on those Spider-crabs, but even _he_ hadn’t expected the General himself to take notice of it beyond giving him a commendation or something.

 

For once, Balzac could honestly say that he was glad to have miscalculated.

 

0100101001

 

Standing in the storage bunker where Pegas had been placed when Star and Ringo had landed the Blue Earth, close enough to be loaded up at least relatively quickly if he and Saber needed to fight in the air, or just to use if he ended up needing to transform today at all, Slade leaned against Saber.

 

“It seems kind of strange,” he said, more to hear his own voice than anything else. “You know?”

 

“Yeah,” he heard Saber say, with a soft chuckle. “To be honest, even _I_ didn’t think we were ever going to get a break from fighting Spider-crabs all the time. It’ll be nice to have some actual time _off_ , though.”

 

“You _would_ think that,” he said, playfully punching Saber on the shoulder. “Slacker.”

 

“Better that than a spaz,” Saber retorted, punching him back.

 

Slade chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them to take in Pegas again. He didn’t know just what he and Saber were going to end up facing today, just what he and Saber would end up doing for the rest of the day, but there would probably be another Radam attack today. He didn’t know just yet if he’d leave all of the fighting to Balzac, since fighting Spider-crabs had become almost as routine to him as washing up in the morning, but-

 

The high, harsh whine of twin turbojet engines disturbed Slade from his thoughts. The sound hurt his ears a bit, even through the hangar’s walls and, not for the first time, Slade found himself wishing that he could have just been a normal human. He could see Saber wincing from the corner of his eye, but before he could say even a single word to his younger twin, the sudden, unpleasant sensation of danger forced the breath from his lungs.

 

Whatever he was sensing, it was close; what he and Saber were _both_ sensing, since the expression on his younger twin’s face made it clear that Saber was sensing this new threat just as much as he was. Just a few seconds after he’d begun to sense this new danger - Slade thought it was probably Spider-crabs, both since it usually _was_ Spider-crabs and because Spear hadn’t tried to contact him in any way - the door behind them opened and someone else came into the hangar. From the sound of their hurried footsteps, Slade knew that they were aware of whatever new danger there was out there. That was good; he suspected he knew what they wanted, too.

 

 _That_ could be either good or bad, depending on how you looked at it.

 

“ _Here_ you two are,” Star said, and as he turned around to face her, he saw the relieved smile on her face. “Spider-crabs are attacking the airfield, we need you and Saber to help drive them off.”

 

“What’s wrong with Balzac?” he asked.

 

 _(You mean aside from the obvious?)_ Saber interjected.

 

 _(Wiseass,)_ he retorted, knowing he’d pretty much walked right into that one.

 

“Balzac isn’t the one we really need,” Star said, shaking her head. “If the two of you just stay here and leave the whole thing to Balzac, then there’s no telling _what_ might happen. You’re _Teknomen_ ; the only real hope that any of us have in this war, and we all still believe in you,” Star continued, walking right up to where he and Saber were standing and laying her hands on his right shoulder and Saber’s left. “Slade, you’re the only one who can command the power of the Emerald Crystal; just like Saber is the only one who can command the power of the Lapis Crystal,” Star said.

 

“Star, not that I don’t appreciate the moral support, but what the heck are you talking about?” Saber asked; Slade was glad that he had his brother with him, since _he_ wanted to know what she was talking about, too, but didn’t really want to look like an idiot by asking.

 

“Those are the names that Maggie and I came up with,” Star said, then gave Saber a mildly reproving look. “And you’re stalling.”

 

He and Saber traded semi-amused smiles. “Yeah, a bit,” he said.

 

“All right,” Saber said, smiling widely. “We’ll go save Balzac’s sorry butt; but he owes us dinner for this. Make sure you tell him that, okay?” As his irrepressible younger twin winked at Star, Slade quickly stifled a laugh.

 

Now wasn’t really the time for humor, though; the Spider-crabs, dumb as they were individually, were extremely dangerous when they attacked in swarms. And they _always_ attacked in swarms, swamping anyone trying to fight them under sheer weight of numbers. Coupled with the fact that their shells could resist bombardment from most conventional weapons, it meant that the people still out there in the airfield needed all the help they could get.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Slade could see Saber’s sky-blue teknocrystal appearing in his younger twin’s hand, and as he called on Pegas to transform him again, Slade heard Saber’s familiar shout. Smiling softly as he leapt into Pegas’ interlock-chamber and felt the energies of his transformation rush through him, Slade sensed Saber all the more clearly as his younger twin engaged his own transformation.

 

Flipping in midair as his transformation completed itself, Slade was confronted with the sight of the vast swarm of Spider-crabs that had been sent to attack the airfield. They were the ground-types, each and every one of them, so they must have come up from underground since none of them were coming down from the sky in their transit forms. For about a second or two, Slade was annoyed with himself for not going after the Spider-crabs that had obviously burrowed underground after the battle last night.

 

But that was in the past, and there was nothing he could do about that now; best to focus on what he _could_ do.

 

 _(Looks like Balzac’s friend is having some problems,)_ Saber commented, and Slade looked down at where his younger twin’s attention was clearly focused.

 

Then he cursed softly under his breath. _(Those Spider-crabs will kill him if they get the chance,)_ he paused, sighing. _(I know we usually fight together against these kinds of odds, but do you think you could go help him?)_

_(I think I could do that,)_ Saber said, and Slade looked over his shoulder to see Saber take a flying leap off of Pegas’ back and boost himself into the air. _(Just don’t get yourself in trouble without me, spaz.)_

He smiled. _(I’ll try to keep that in mind. Slacker.)_

 

As Saber flew off, aimed for the spot where Balzac’s friend - the man who’s name Slade couldn’t remember at the moment - was being chased by a small knot of Spider-crabs, Slade guided Pegas forward. He didn’t know just how well Balzac was doing, since he’d only seen that suit of his in action once, but Slade was going to at least make a flyover of his position to make sure that he wasn’t getting into more trouble than he could handle.

 

Directing Pegas to the thickest cluster of Spider-crabs, having just seen the tell-tale bursts of light that meant Balzac was making good use of that oversized rifle of his, Slade was just in time to see yet another Spider-crab erupt from the ground. This one, however, was behind Balzac, far enough out of his line-of-sight - and consequently his line-of-fire - that Slade didn’t think he’d have been able to react in time to kill the thing. Throwing his teknolance through the head of the attacking Spider-crab, he quickly retrieved his lancer and leapt from Pegas’ back.

 

The Spider-crabs were clustered tightly enough that Slade didn’t think he’d be needing the extra mobility that Pegas provided for him, and having an ally in the air against these particular Spider-crabs made him feel at least a bit better about the situation.

 

101001001

 

When the pilot of the jet that he and Colonel Bogard had been taking off in had been slaughtered by Spider-crabs before they could even get off the ground, bathing his clothes and splattering his face with fresh, warm blood, that had been bad. When the Colonel himself had been killed by that same exact Spider-crab, that had been worse. When the Spider-crab had turned its attention on him, Marlowe had finally managed to shake off the blind, mindless panic that had seized hold of him, grab his seat’s ejection-lever, and free himself from the grounded remains of the jet.

 

However, one of the few flying Spider-crabs that had been a part of this particular swarm had ripped through the cables connecting the parachute to the chair he’d been sitting in, sending him falling down toward the unyielding, rocky ground with a speed that would have shattered both his legs if he hadn’t kicked them out straight just before impact. Thrown free from the ejection-seat, Marlowe clutched the case of Ztronic-antimatter as close as he could.

 

The Colonel had told him to guard it with his life, and even with Bogard dead he was going to do his best to carry the Colonel’s last orders out. After all, getting this new creation of his to Washington was his and Balzac’s best chance of gaining the fame, the recognition that they had been working for ever since their lives had begun. He wasn’t about to let all of his hard work, all of their planning for all those years, just go to waste like this.

 

Even though he _was_ surrounded by Spider-crabs. He’d seen Balzac in the prototype Tekno-suit flying into the thick of the swarm descending on them all, but when he’d called out to his old friend he’d gotten no answer. However, given the size of the Spider-crab swarm that was attacking this place, he honestly hadn’t been _that_ surprised; in retrospect at least, he mused with a sigh.

 

The shriek of a Spider-crab, entirely too close for comfort, distracted Marlowe from his efforts to check himself over for injuries. Looking up into the creature’s face, Marlowe wondered if this would be the last thing he’d ever see; this alien monster, the very thing that his Tekno-suit had been designed to kill. It would really be the worst kind of irony if he was killed by one of these things, Marlowe noted, feeling an odd sense of detachment as the Spider-crab continued to loom over him.

 

Then, as the bisected, bloody halves of the creature fell apart and exploded, Marlowe quickly covered his mouth and nose so he wouldn’t end up breathing any of it in. After all, who knew _what_ kind of damage vaporized Spider-crab would do to a human body. Even before the Spider-crab had been destroyed, however, Marlowe knew that it hadn’t been Balzac who had destroyed it.

 

The Z-tron rifle that was going to be standard-equipment on all of his Tekno-suits had a very distinctive energy-pulse when they were fired. He would have known instantly if Balzac had been the one to come to his rescue. That meant that it had to have been either Slade or Saber that had just showed up.

 

Sure enough, when the smoke from the Spider-crab’s exploded corpse cleared, Marlowe saw the red-on-black form of one of the Earth’s only two Teknomen standing there. He’d clearly come to help, judging from the way that he quickly covered the ground between where he’d first been standing and the place where Marlowe had landed.

 

“You all right?” the red-on-black Teknoman asked, after he’d finished scanning the immediate area for any other Spider-crabs near enough to threaten them; for the moment, things were clear.

 

“Better now that I have someone with me,” he admitted, cautiously raising himself into a sitting position so he could check on the case containing the Z-tron.

 

“You sure? You’ve got blood all over you.”

 

Looking up at the worried tone of the Teknoman’s voice, Marlowe saw that Saber was staring down at his clothes. And, when he glanced down, Marlowe was reminded of just why that was. “Oh, _that_. You shouldn’t worry so much about that,” he said, as Saber helped him to his feet. “Most of that came from the Colonel.” He picked at a spot of dried blood. “The rest came from the pilot.”

 

“I guess that makes sense,” Saber said, sounding like he would have said something else, if it hadn’t been for the Spider-crabs descending on them at that moment. “Damn it,” the Teknoman muttered, sounding more annoyed than anything; Marlowe figured that fit, since Spider-crabs weren’t really a danger to someone like _him_.

 

When Saber looked back down at him, the Teknoman’s head tilted slightly in an obvious expression of consideration, Marlowe wasn’t quite sure what to think. “What is it?”

 

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to keep up with me,” he said, and then he turned and impaled a descending Spider-crab.

 

Marlowe, however, was watching Saber as he attacked the Spider-crabs. He wasn’t _shooting_ at them, he was actually using that oversized, bladed weapon that he and Slade both seemed to possess. Still, the _way_ he was using it was also odd: the tip of the weapon was tearing through the descending Spider-crabs _on its own_. The thing was connected to the shaft of Saber’s lance by a ribbon of crackling, sparking, yellow energy; only from the way Saber’s arm was moving, it was obvious that he wasn’t controlling the thing through the momentum of his swings.

 

 _Then, is he- is it possible that he’s controlling that thing with his_ mind _?_ Marlowe didn’t know how something like that could even be accomplished, but it became obvious the more he watched that that was indeed the case. Psychotronic controls had been dismissed as something out of science fiction for some time; sure, there were some scientists who believed it was only a matter of time before a working prototype was developed, but he hadn’t been one of them.

 

Still, all of that had been before the invasion; before this war against the Radam had consumed so much of their resources, and killed off so many of their people.

 

“You don’t have a weak stomach, do you?” Saber asked, just as another group of Spider-crabs began to descend toward them.

 

“No, I don’t think I do,” he said, wondering for a moment just what had brought _that_ kind of question up.

 

“Well, just don’t barf on me, alright?”

 

Before Marlowe could think of any way to respond to such an unexpected request, Saber wrapped his left arm around his midsection and hefted him up like so much luggage. Finding the case holding the Z-tron jammed into his gut as Saber ran over the broken train, slashing at descending Spider-crabs with that energy-ribbon attached to the tip of his lance, Marlowe tried not to think too much about how badly he was being bounced around by each of the Teknoman’s steps. It was far better than the alternative, he knew.

 

As Saber continued running, bouncing him harshly with every step he took, Marlowe clutched the case of Z-tron so it wouldn’t end up smashing him in the gut any worse than it already was. _Well, I can safely say that I never expected_ this _to happen,_ he mused, with a slightly ironic smile. _Still, I guess there really is a first time for everything._

 

Even for being slung under a Teknoman’s arm like a piece of luggage while said Teknoman dodged a seemingly-endless number of Spider-crabs.

 

010010010

 

He couldn’t exactly keep track of time like this, not while he was in the middle of a knot of Spider-crabs that were all doing all they could to kill him, but since he wasn’t feeling any disorientation as he fought, Slade figured that he was at least reasonably safe. _For a certain skewed definition of “safe”, anyway,_ he thought, chuckling in morbid amusement as he continued to whittle down the numbers of his attackers.

 

He’d gotten a message from Saber just a couple minutes ago; apparently, his brother was getting Balzac’s friend Marlowe off the battlefield as fast as he could. That was good to hear. It meant that he didn’t have too many things to worry about anymore.

 

Moving and slashing in almost the same motion, Slade continued to carve his way through the attacking ranks. He wasn’t quite feeling in perfect condition anymore; starting to feel more than a little disoriented as he continued tearing and carving his way through the ranks of enemies descending on him, so Slade knew that his time in Teknoman form was starting to run low. He didn’t know what he was going to be able to _do_ about that, especially considering the fact that if _he_ was having these problems, then Saber was obviously worse off.

 

_(Saber, are you doing all right?)_

_(I’m fine,)_ his younger twin responded, and Slade listened closely for any signs of fatigue that Saber might be trying to hide; it was hard to lie through a mental link, but he’d done it himself when he hadn’t wanted his younger twin to worry about him. _(I’m pretty sure Marlowe’ll be safe once I get him back to the hangar,)_ Saber chuckled briefly. _(I’ve even got Balzac covering my back, if you’ll believe it.)_

_(You’re right,)_ he said, pausing for a moment to deal with another Spider-crab. _(That_ is _weird.)_

 

He could pretty much understand why that was, though: Saber was risking his life to protect one of Balzac’s friends, and no matter how much of a bastard he was, he’d never seemed like the kind of person who was stupid enough to reject help when he obviously needed it. Turning his attention back to the Spider-crabs, Slade caught himself just as he was about to stumble. It seemed like he was farther-gone than he’d thought.

 

Breathing deeply to regain his bearings, Slade cursed under his breath as he noticed that his vision had started to blur. And not just that, either; he was starting to see double, hallucinating that there were more Spider-crabs out there than there actually were. What was worse, though, was that his hallucinations weren’t just limited to the Spider-crabs around him; no, his mind was playing tricks on him again.

 

Slade was beginning to see the faces of his friends in place of the attacking Spider-crabs.

 

He knew that if he concentrated hard enough that he would be able to push past it, to keep fighting, but with the pain starting to throb in his head, that was harder than it would have been otherwise. Raising his teknolance again, shaking off the illusion of Star that had appeared in front of him, Slade continued hacking his way through the swarming Spider-crabs closing in all around him. Righting himself after he’d just stumbled, shoulders heaving as he fought to regain the breath that had just been knocked out of him, Slade shook off the illusions surrounding him and tried to focus on the Spider-crabs that were actually _there_.

 

All the while, he wondered just how Saber was managing; he hoped his younger twin was still doing all right.

 

1101010001

 

When Saber had set him back on his feet, Marlowe had wondered for a moment just what the Teknoman could have been thinking. Saber had said that he was going to take him back to the airfield’s hangar, a place that he had said was the safest that he could think of at the moment, and there was still a substantial distance between the two of them and the Teknoman’s intended destination. Just as he was about to ask Saber what he was thinking, however, Marlowe heard a low, pained moan.

 

A moan that seemed to come from the red-on-black Teknoman beside him, odd as something like _that_ was to think about.

 

“Sorry,” Saber said, and Marlowe was stunned by the sheer _weariness_ in the Teknoman’s voice. “I guess you’re on your own.”

 

Before Marlowe could ask just what Saber meant by that, ominous as it had sounded, the Teknoman’s entire form was enveloped in bright, pale-blue light, shrouded in an odd, geometric structure, and gone in the time it took Marlowe to blink three times. Catching Saber around the waist before the un-armored - and clearly unconscious - Teknoman could collapse to the rocky ground, Marlowe was almost annoyed that he didn’t have the time to examine the Teknoman in more detail.

 

Balzac _had_ mentioned a thirty-minute time-limit, but he’d only mentioned it in reference to _Slade_. Now, however, with all of the Spider-crabs descending on him, and his last, best means of defense against them gone, Marlowe knew that the only thing he could do right now was to keep running. He took Saber along with him, of course, both since the Teknoman was still one of the Earth’s best weapons in this war, and also because he wanted to get a closer look at the Teknoman and he knew that he wasn’t going to find a much better chance than this to do just that.

 

After all, Saber really hadn’t seemed like the type to cooperate with the AEM; Slade hadn’t either, but Saber also seemed like the type to retaliate when something bothered him too much. That much had been obvious from the way he had handled Balzac. _Painfully_ obvious, one might say.

 

So, with Saber slung under his own arm in an ironic reversal of how the Teknoman had once been carrying _him_ , Marlowe ran for the hangar. He knew that it couldn’t stand up to a dedicated assault from the Spider-crabs, but then again there weren’t many buildings that _could_ do something like that; he’d have never been naïve enough to suggest that a civilian installation like that could do what an AEM facility could barely manage. His heart seeming to pound in time with his heavy footsteps, made all the heavier by the deadweight he was lugging under his right arm, Marlowe looked back as a shadow fell over him.

 

The Spider-crab looked substantially larger than any of the others that he’d seen up till today, but Marlowe knew that that was only his mind playing tricks on him. Running all the faster as he heard the shrieks of a hunting Spider-crab behind him, Marlowe made for the hangar’s main administration building. He was already starting to tire, the strain of lugging Saber’s unconscious body combined with the sheer terror he felt at the thought of being defenseless in the presence of so many Spider-crabs combining to wear him down much faster than he ever had in the past.

 

He’d been subject to nearly the same set of physical challenges that Balzac had, and while he’d sometimes been forced to stay in his Sci-Division working, he’d always made a point of getting at least a reasonable amount of exercise. Still, it didn’t seem like he’d be able to make it; that Spider-crab was closing fast, and it sounded like more of them were landing behind him. He was also hampered by lugging so much deadweight.

 

Looking back at Saber, since there wasn’t a chance in hell that he would give up the Z-tron that he had already risked so much for, the Z-tron that he was going to use to drastically improve his and Balzac’s position in the world. Even though he still wanted to know what was going on with Saber, there were times that a man had to choose his priorities. And, no matter what else happened, Marlowe was determined to preserve his own life.

 

Throwing Saber’s still-unconscious body at the Spider-crabs, hoping to distract them with someone who up until a few minutes ago had been killing scores of them without hesitation, Marlowe gripped the case of Z-tron with both arms and ran. Freed of Saber’s weight, Marlowe stumbled slightly then quickly righted himself. Even in his human form, the Teknoman probably weighed over a hundred pounds or so, though granted it was obviously muscle and bone for the most part. Without Saber tucked under his arm, slowing him down, Marlowe was relieved to note that he was making much better progress toward the administration building.

 

The shriek of hunting Spider-crabs drew his attention back to the swarm behind him. Apparently, they _hadn’t_ been diverted from him when he’d pretty much given them Saber; either that or the Teknoman was already dead and they were just moving on to the next living target. Marlowe didn’t know, and for the moment he really didn’t care; there might have been only three Spider-crabs after him, but with no weapons and no one left to defend him, that was three too many.

 

As the shadow of a Spider-crab fell over him, the high, ear-piercing shriek rending the air as the thing and its cohorts closed in on him, Marlowe pushed his tiring body for every last iota of speed it could give him. It wasn’t enough. With barely even enough time to throw the case as far as he could away from himself, and hence away from the pursuing Spider-crabs, Marlowe felt the oversized claw punch through his midsection from behind.

 

It wasn’t enough to kill him instantly, but in some ways that was even worse. Struggling to turn himself over, Marlowe finally managed to lay on his back. He wondered where Balzac was; he hoped that someone would come and rescue him soon.

 

0001010011

 

When he’d saved Slade’s sorry bacon from those Spider-crabs, after the Teknoman had started to go haywire like he’d always known would happen, he’d lost sight of Saber and Marlowe. Still, he knew that he could at least trust Slade’s brother not to screw up, even if the man himself couldn’t be trusted to do anything _but_ that. And hell, it’d been pretty damned hilarious to watch Marlowe being carted off like a duffel-bag; he was going to have a great time bringing _that_ up at opportune moments.

 

Once he’d dealt with the last of the Spider-crabs in this area, after making sure that Slade knew _just_ what he thought about him and his myriad failings, Balzac went to find Marlowe and Saber. Might as well get an early start on all that ribbing he was going to do. When he saw the three Spider-crabs bearing down on someone, he fired on them without hesitation.

 

“You’re not slacking off on me now, are you Saber?” he called, watching with a definite sense of satisfaction as the last three Spider-crabs were wiped from existence.

 

It was kind of funny, though; he’d have expected Saber to have one of his smart-mouth answers ready to fire off even _before_ he’d finished speaking. It wasn’t like the kid to be so quiet. It was kind of startling, really; Saber might’ve clammed up just as tight as Slade when it came to what he and his brother were, or just how they had gotten their powers, but talking _in_ _general_? There was no way that _that_ particular Teknoman would miss the opportunity for a good verbal-spar.

 

Hell, given how good the kid seemed to be at fighting, Balzac highly doubted that he’d be one to pass up _any_ kind of sparring.

 

When the light obscuring the battlefield had finally died down enough for him to be able to see anything, the first thing that drew his attention was the slumped form of Marlowe lying on the ground a good distance in front of him. Calling his friend’s name, forgetting about Saber in light of someone that was a hell of a lot more important, Balzac raced over to his friend’s side.

 

Removing the Tekno-suit, not needing it since all of the Spider-crabs were already dead, Balzac hurried to Marlowe’s side; and that was mostly thanks to his efforts, and he _was_ going to have words with Saber about keeping his useless brother in line. The first thing Balzac’s eyes landed on, as he took stock of Marlowe’s condition so he’d have an idea of just what he’d need to demand from the medicos so that Marlowe could get back on his feet as quickly as possible.

 

He also wasn’t particularly happy with Saber at the moment, and he _was_ going to let the Teknoman know that in no uncertain terms when he finally managed to get Marlowe settled.

 

“Marlowe, open your eyes,” he pleaded; a weakness he would only show to the oldest and best of his friends.

 

Marlowe’s eyes fluttered briefly, and then opened; Balzac let himself relax a bit, sighing in profound relief. “What happened to the Z-tron?”

 

“It’s safe,” he said, having seen some of the AEM’s personnel securing it and taking it into their protection; he hadn’t paid much attention beyond that, of course.

 

“Good,” Marlowe said, smiling weakly up at him. “You think they’ll still want me as head of the Science Agency?” he asked haltingly. “Think we could still be rich and famous?”

 

“I don’t care about any of that,” he said, gripping Marlowe’s bloodstained right hand tightly.

 

“What?” Marlowe asked, and Balzac thought that he could detect a slight note of amusement in his old friend’s failing voice; he didn’t really blame him, under any other circumstances, _he_ would have laughed at someone saying that, too. “You mean the great Balzac _isn’t_ concerned with fame and fortune?”

 

“No; I’m just glad to see that you’re all right. All those things we talked about? All our plans? What are they to me without you to share them with?” Marlowe smiled weakly up at him, and for a moment Balzac thought that everything would be all right.

 

It was a stupid thought, really; he’d _seen_ that abdominal wound that Marlowe had suffered, all of the blood that had been spilling out of Marlowe’s body as his old friend struggled to stay conscious. As he held Marlowe’s dying body in his arms, saying goodbye in the only real way that he could, Balzac felt a deep, seething rage for the one who’d let this happen. Not Slade; everyone _knew_ that Slade was useless, even with every one of the Space Knights coddling him the way they did, but Saber... it pissed him off that he’d actually been fooled by the kid’s act.

 

Storming over to where he’d seen the distinctive red of a Space Knight uniform, he found Saber sprawled out on the ground. For a moment, as he checked the ground for bloodstains, Balzac felt slightly mollified. If Saber had been wounded in his efforts to protect Marlowe, then he’d be willing to cut the Teknoman some slack. Hell, if the wound was bad enough, he’d carry the kid to the medicos himself.

 

Finding nothing on the kid’s body when he checked Saber over for wounds, and no bloodstains on the ground where he’d been laying, all the fury that he’d been holding at bay came roaring back with a vengeance. Yanking Saber up off the ground by that red vest of his, Balzac shook him.

 

“What the hell did you think you were _doing_ , you worthless freak?!” he demanded, shaking Saber’s body harshly. “Marlowe died because of you!” There was still no response from the Teknoman; Balzac didn’t know why he insisted on playing ‘possum like this, but he wasn’t about to let that stand. Slapping the blue-eyed freak as hard as he could, Balzac watched in mild satisfaction as his head was knocked sideways from the blow.

 

His satisfaction was short-lived, however: Saber didn’t react even the slightest bit to the pain he must have been feeling. “Wake up, damn you!” Balzac growled, slapping the freak again.

 

After he’d done it four times, however, and the only thing that happened was Saber’s pale cheeks turning pink from the increased blood-flow, Balzac stopped. The only thing _he_ really felt was a stinging sensation in his right hand, and he was all the more furious that he hadn’t managed to make any meaningful impact on Saber. He wanted that particular freak to _suffer_ for what had happened to Marlowe.

 

Throwing the freak’s body to the rocky ground, not even wanting to _touch_ it anymore, Balzac drove his boot into Saber’s stomach. “You’re _worthless_ ,” he hissed, feeling some small sense of vindication as the blue-eyed freak’s body crumpled slightly under the impact. Shifting his weight slight, Balzac kicked the freak’s flank, his side, stomped him in the gut once more for good measure, then fired a tranq dart into the blue-eyed freak’s neck when it looked like he might be starting to revive.

 

Then, remembering that he’d been ordered by the General to bring him in and realizing that this was probably his best chance to do so, Balzac yanked the blue-eyed freak back up by the front of his red vest. Replacing his sidearm, Balzac dragged the unconscious blue-eyed freak over to the lines that the AEM were beginning to establish. Ignoring the sounds of running footsteps coming his way, Balzac waved to the nearest soldier to salute him, hefting the blue-eyed freak he was still lugging and tilting his head slightly toward the burden in his right hand.

 

The soldier nodded, then his gaze shifted to something slightly behind him, and the man’s eye’s widened. That was nearly the only warning that Balzac had, before he was nearly tackled from behind by a hurtling body. Dodging out of the way at nearly the last second, Balzac turned around to see the one man he _didn’t_ particularly want to deal with at the moment.

 

“Get away from my brother,” the other freak all but snarled.

 

Balzac smiled coldly. “I’m afraid your brother’s going to have to come with us now.” He looked back down at the blue-eyed freak that he was still lugging, then decided to dig the needle in a little deeper. After all, the General _had_ said that he wanted to build a case against Slade, and what better way to start than with attempted assault on a Military officer? “You know, he actually had me convinced that the two of you were _different_ ,” he gave the blue-eyed freak’s body a rough shake as he said that last word. “But I realize now that he’s just a stinking monster. Just like _you_.”

 

That seemed to be just the thing he needed to get under Slade’s skin.

 

“We are _not_ monsters!” the freak screamed, looking like he was just a few words away from going completely off the deep end. “We’re human beings! And I’m not letting _you_ , or anyone else, take my brother away from me. Now _put him down_.”

 

“No,” he said, jerking the blue-eyed freak up so he could wrap his right arm around the freak’s torso. “Orders from the General; you don’t get a say in this, _monster_.”

 

Turning away slightly, all but daring the freak to try something else, Balzac wasn’t disappointed in the least. Firing his tranq-pistol into the other freak’s neck, Balzac wasn’t surprised to see his fellow soldiers gathering the other freak up and setting him on a stretcher. Tossing the blue-eyed freak down on another offered stretcher, Balzac turned at the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.

 

There were a lot of them, and he suspected he knew who they were, too. So, as the freak-brothers were loaded onto their respective stretchers, and he heard the soft clicking of handcuffs being fastened around their wrists, Balzac turned to confront the rest of the Space Knights. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to dealing with them, but knowing that this would be the last time he would ever have to took some of the edges off of his annoyance.

 

“What have you _done_?” Star demanded.

 

Dealing with her was a hell of a lot easier than any of the others. “Don’t worry, it’s just a tranquilizer,” he said, turning a sidelong look on her. “They’ll both come to in an hour.”

 

“Listen! If you want to arrest those boys, you’ll have to arrest me first!” the fat Space Knight snarled. “Understand?!”

 

“It’s a direct order from General Gault. Keep your nose out of it, grease monkey,” he snapped, ignoring the man’s next words. “Take them away.”

 

As he fell in with his fellow soldiers, people who might be assigned as his subordinates in the new corps that the General was going to form around him, Balzac carefully kept his eyes away from Saber. If he looked at that little blue-eyed freak for any longer than he absolutely _had_ to, after what had happened because of him, there was no telling _what_ he might be tempted to do. The General had stated that he wanted the blue-eyed freak intact, so the AEM’s medicos would be able to examine him for any clues about how he’d gotten his power.

 

He was pointedly _not_ thinking about the fact that there were two of them now; he wasn’t going to think about the fact that the General probably didn’t need the pair of them for anything in particular, because if he did he was going to end up doing something _permanent_ to that little blue-eyed freak on the stretcher.

 

10100100001

 

As she watched Slade and Saber get taken away, helpless to do anything about it since she was so far away and not knowing what she _could_ have done even if she _had_ been there, Tina turned to look at the Commander. Commander Jamison would know what to do; he _always_ had the answers that the Space Knights needed. Even when no one else knew what to do, the Commander would always find a way.

 

“Did you hear, sir?” she asked. “Slade and Saber-”

 

“Yes. I heard, Tina,” the Commander said, and then he turned and started to leave. “Unfortunately, there’s little I can do. For now, Gault’s orders will have to stand.”

 

The Commander vanished behind the closing doors, and Tina wondered just what he was planning to do. He had to have something in mind; something that would save both Slade and Saber from whatever General Gault and the rest of the AEM were planning to do to them. He just _had_ to.

 

But, all she could do was wait, hoping that the Commander would find some way to get Slade and Saber away from General Gault and all of the AEM. She still couldn’t believe how much of a jerk Balzac had been, kicking Saber around like that after he’d used up all of his energy trying to get Marlowe back to safe ground! It wasn’t _his_ fault that he always lost consciousness when he was transformed for twenty-five minutes!

 

That was something the Radam had done to him.

 

Sighing, knowing that she wasn’t going to be of much use to anyone with the way she was currently feeling and happy that her shift was over in any case, Tina set down the comm. equipment she’d been using. She waved to her replacement, a boy named Joseph, and someone who she’d gotten to know at least as far as going out for coco with him when both of their schedules allowed it, and made her way out of Comm. One.

 

She didn’t really want to think about what General Gault was planning to do to them, and she really hoped that the Commander would figure out something _quickly_ , but just sitting around brooding about it wasn’t going to help anyone. She knew that better than most people her age, especially since she’d been the Space Knights’ comm. tech through the entire invasion. With all the things she had heard about, and more recently seen, during the Radam invasion, Tina knew that just brooding over problems never really solved them.

 

It _was_ important to think before you acted, but you still had to _act_ to get anything done.


	18. Battleground

When he woke up, a bit disoriented and surrounded by darkness and unfamiliar shapes, Slade took a deep breath and tried to regain his bearings. The last thing he remembered was trying to save Saber from Balzac. The bastard had shot him with something, and then everything had gone black. It had to have been some kind of knock-out drops, or a stun-gun or something like that.

 

He wasn’t particularly happy about that, and when he got his hands on Balzac he was going to do things to him that would make even _Saber_ sit back and gape... but, first he was going to have to get his bearings again. And for that, he needed to know where he stood.

 

_(Saber? You still with me, brother?)_

_(Yeah, I’m here,)_ Saber said, though his younger twin sounded a bit more cranky than he’d have thought he would; even in _this_ kind of a fix. _(I feel like someone dropped a safe on my stomach, or like I just got trampled by a horse, though. So I’m not quite at my best right now. How’re_ you _doing, brother?)_

_(About the same,)_ he said, pausing for a second to take stock of himself. _(Though not about the trampling part.)_

 

Probably something _else_ that could be blamed on Balzac; that bastard had a lot to answer for. Opening his eyes once he was sure that there was no one close enough to see that he’d already woken up. He didn’t know what they’d do to him if they realized that, and frankly he didn’t want to find out. The sense of motion had alerted Slade to the fact that he and Saber were most likely onboard one of the AEM’s transports; he didn’t think they were being flown in, both since aerial transports were more vulnerable to Spider-crab attacks, and because he was familiar with the sounds that large vehicles made when they were in motion.

 

True, he’d never ridden in anything this big before, but the sounds of the motor and the feel of the road going by under the wheels was nearly the same as all the other times he’d spent in vehicles like this. Looking around the interior of the transport, Slade quickly caught sight of Saber. His younger twin was sitting up on the bed just beside the one Slade himself had been laid out on, and he was gingerly touching his left flank in the way Slade could remember doing when he had had bruises and he hadn’t quite known where they were. Not wanting to disturb his brother while he was working at such a delicate task, Slade just watched and waited.

 

And hated Balzac all the more for what he’d done.

 

 _(Are you finished now, Saber?)_ Slade asked, as he saw his younger twin settling back down on the hard pallet just like the one he’d awakened on.

 

_(Yeah, I’m done. Still annoyed about the handcuffs, though.)_

And it was only then, after having Saber draw his attention to them so bluntly, that Slade really took note of the cuffs binding his wrists. _(And here I thought you training yourself to escape from handcuffs back when we were kids was just something you did to show off. Makes me kind of wish I’d paid better attention to what you were doing back then.)_

_(Well, they always say that hindsight’s 20/20,)_ Saber said, studying his own restrained wrists for a few, long moments. _(Still, I don’t think it would be a great idea for me to try breaking us out of here.)_

 

He was just about to ask what Saber had meant by that, when he heard the sounds of muffled footsteps coming toward them. Or maybe it was back to them, since the two of them had to have been loaded into this transport by _someone_ , but either way there were people coming, and it was just best if no one knew they’d recovered. With barely a look to Saber, since it was obvious that his younger twin already knew what was coming, Slade lay back down on the not-particularly-comfortable pallet that he’d found himself on when he regained consciousness.

 

Forcing himself to relax, not the easiest thing to do when he was surrounded by potential enemies and almost helpless to fight back, the way he was at the moment, but knowing it was best that none of them knew that he and Saber weren’t quite as out as they’d looked, Slade closed his eyes and focused on what he heard. Just because he’d been deprived of one of his senses, that didn’t mean that he was _entirely_ helpless. It just meant that he would have to be a lot more attentive to what he heard while the soldiers were working.

 

He and Saber hadn’t had time to make any plans for escaping, not even the most tentative ones, before the soldiers had come back into the transport and they’d had to lay low, but he knew his brother well enough to know what Saber would have suggested if he’d been able to. He even agreed with it: wait until the soldiers inside the transport were sure that they were out, then jump them, knock _them_ unconscious, and then Saber would fly the two of them out of here.

 

Balzac had probably reported that Saber didn’t need anything like Pegas to transform, so Slade could at least hope that none of the solders would be _too_ interested in how his younger twin still managed to transform when Pegas wasn’t nearby.

 

As he began to hear the soldiers talking around him, Slade wished for a few seconds that he could talk to Saber about what they were going to do when they got back to the Command Center, but he knew that it was obvious when he and Saber used their telepathy. Commander Jamison had told him that he’d been able to see the light on Saber’s forehead, the one that Slade himself had always seen when he and Saber would use their telepathy when they were within each other’s line-of-sight. He’d thought it was something only he could see, some other artifact of the transformation that was only visible to other Teknomen, but now that he knew that Commander Jamison had seen it, he wasn’t willing to risk any of the AEM soldiers seeing it.

 

Forcing himself not to react as one of the soldiers lifted up his right hand, Slade relaxed his face as he felt the soldier’s thumb moving over the back of his hand. He didn’t know what was happening, and he couldn’t risk opening his eyes to see anything without giving away the fact that he was still awake to notice what was happening to him, so Slade forced himself to relax.

 

“You know, Teknoman, I don’t know how you managed to shake off the effects of that tranquilizer that the Major dosed you with,” the soldier said, and Slade couldn’t quite stop himself from tensing as he felt a sharp pinch in the back of his hand. “But I have to thank you for being so cooperative.”

 

The feeling of what was obviously a needle sticking into his hand brought Slade’s attention squarely to the fact that he shouldn’t have been so concerned with tricking the soldiers. He should have told Saber to break out of those handcuffs and then the two of them should have gotten as far away from this transport as they could. But now, he didn’t even know if Saber was still awake to hear him if he called, and he was already starting to feel tired and disoriented from the injection he’d just been given.

 

“This dose is twice as strong as the last one, so don’t think you’re going to be getting up so quickly this time.”

 

As Slade felt himself slipping into unconsciousness again, he could only hope that Saber would at least be all right; he doubted that they would be kind enough to keep him and Saber together the way they were here.

 

1001001000

 

Standing in front of the pupation-chamber that Sam, Shara, and the other surviving Teknomen had been transferred to - most likely while he had been recovering from the damage that Ness had inflicted on him - Spear sighed. He didn’t know what he was going to do about Ness and Cain; they seemed determined to stay back on Earth, refusing to return to their proper place. Refusing to come back so that the three of them could all be a family again.

 

He knew that it was the fault of their late father, that it was because of _him_ that two of Spear’s younger siblings refused to return to their proper places in the cosmos. The trouble was that he didn’t know what he was going to be able to _do_ about that; Lord Darkon was not going to be so lenient with him if he didn’t start showing some positive results soon. He would have to start being more ruthless, to show Ness and Cain just what it meant to betray their family for complete strangers the way they had done.

 

He just hoped that he wouldn’t be required to do _too_ much to them; misguided or not, traitors or not, Ness and Cain were still his younger brothers.

 

Forcing those dark thoughts out of his mind with a bit of mental exertion, Spear turned his attention to the remaining members of his family. Sam was nearly finished, his baby brother having merely been placed in a state of suspended animation while the few remaining alterations were carried out, but it was Shara that he was more concerned about at this point. There was still something off, something that seemed unfinished, about her.

 

He didn’t know what to make of it, and it was honestly starting to worry him a bit.

 

_(Spear. Is there something troubling you?)_

_(Yes,)_ he admitted, having the feeling that his Lord wanted to ask him something, and grateful for the consideration he was being shown. _(I don’t know if you’d be able to do anything about it, but I’m worried about Shara,)_ he said, reaching out to gently caress the teknopod that held his only sister. _(I can’t seem to get any sense of her; not like I have of the others, but it doesn’t quite feel like she’s trying to block me out, either. I’m... I’m just confused. I don’t know what I can do for her.)_

_(Be patient, then,)_ Lord Darkon said firmly. _(Things will work out, or they will not. Now, as to why I contacted you: the humans seem to have deployed some new weaponry. You are to report to the Space Ring and assess it. If the situation seems favorable to you, you are to destroy this new weaponry. I will_ not _have the humans gaining any further advantages in this war.)_

_(Of course, Lord Darkon,)_ he said, inclining his head in a subtle bow. _(As you say: we can’t let the humans gain any other advantages.)_

Advantages that they had most likely gained from Ness and Cain’s collusion; he hated that fact, knowing that his own younger brothers had betrayed Lord Darkon’s cause and abandoned their true place in the universe, but hating it would not make it any less true. The twins might have originally been forced to leave by their late father, but Spear had _seen_ the defiant expressions on their faces when he had first come to retrieve them. It would not be an easy thing, getting his younger brothers to give up whatever absurd ideas of rebellion that the humans had most likely planted in their heads, but if Ness and Cain were to survive in the new world that Lord Darkon would create, then it would have to be done.

 

Leaving the sanctuary of Lord Darkon’s vessel, Spear called his mount to his side with a mental effort and continued on his way. He’d been transformed when he came out of his teknopod, after he’d been healed after Ness had fired a Tekno-bolt at him. He still couldn’t understand why one of his own younger brothers would do something so cruel, but he was determined to find out.

 

Likely enough, it had something to do with those humans who had captured them, though he doubted the woman was responsible; she didn’t seem like the sort, and the fact that she had been so willing to put herself at potential risk to protect Cain said a great deal about her character. He would have been hesitant to attack the ship where his brother was sleeping, yes, but the woman would have had no way of knowing that. So, under the circumstances, Spear could respect the human woman’s courage.

 

Standing on the back of his mount, Spear guided the creature out of Lord Darkon’s ship with a combination of subtle mental nudges and slight repositioning of his feet. From the tone of Lord Darkon’s mental voice, it seemed as if the Warlord wished for him to remain on the Space Ring, at least until he was recalled. It made sense, he supposed; there was no real way to know how long he would be required to stay on the Space Ring, how many of the humans’ new weapons that he would need to deal with before his mission was complete.

 

Leaving the weaker gravitational influence of the Moon, Spear barely spared a thought as he slid down into the Earth’s gravity-well. Using his own thrusters, Spear broke away from his original trajectory and flew toward one of the nearby airlocks. He was pleased to have found one so close, and as he made for the airlock so that he could reverse his transformation and rest from his journey, Spear spared a thought for his younger brothers.

 

He hoped they were doing all right.

 

1100101001

 

Waking up after being forcibly sedated twice in what seemed like a short time wasn’t Saber’s idea of fun, but as he listened to what was going on around him, he realized that that wasn’t quite the end of his troubles. There were people around him, and some of the smells wafting toward his nose he could recognize from his stays in the Space Knights’ infirmary; so he at least had _some_ idea where he was at the moment. Not that it was likely to do him much good at the moment.

 

“You can stop pretending to be asleep now, Saber,” said a smug voice, one that he wasn’t at all happy to hear. “We all know you’re awake; I heard your breathing change a few minutes ago. Your recovery-time is very impressive, I have to say. That was almost as long as a normal person would have taken to recover, and that was two and a half _times_ the amount that any _normal_ person would have been exposed to. You really _are_ quite incredible.”

 

“So I’ve been told,” he said, opening his eyes at last.

 

Sure enough, there was General Gault, looking down on him in a sad, pathetic attempt to be paternal. Given the way Saber felt about the man, and all that he’d just been through at the hands of one of the bastard General’s underlings, the attempt fell about as flat as an Origami cube that’d just had a bowling ball dropped on it. When Gault leaned over, reaching out like he was going to touch Saber’s face or something weird like that, Saber moved his head so that he was just out of the bastard General’s reach.

 

He didn’t quite manage to keep the bastard from touching him, but at least Saber could say that he hadn’t been entirely passive; if he was going to be confined to this hellhole for an indeterminate amount of time, while the Commander and his and Slade’s fellow Space Knights worked to get them out of the clutches of General Jackass and his hired goons, Saber would take what victories he could get.

 

“Where’s my brother?” he asked, sitting up once Gault stood back far enough that he could do so without smacking his head against the asshole General’s.

 

“You’ve no need to worry about _him_ ,” Gault said; the smile on the jackass General’s face made Saber long to leap out of the bed and pummel him. “He’s been taken care of quite nicely.”

 

He could see the other soldiers standing around, though, and he knew that if he did anything too aggressive they would probably come down on him like a collapsing wall. Leaning back against the bed in the room that he’d been shoved into, Saber forced himself not to tense up as Gault continued to leer down at him. He wasn’t going to give this bastard and his goon squad anything.

 

010010010

 

As he was yanked forward by the group of soldiers, Slade tried not to think about what might be happening to Saber. He’d have the opportunity to contact Saber once the two of them were alone; no sense letting anyone here know anything about him that they didn’t have to. Once he found himself alone in his cell, the mesh door slamming shut in front of him, Slade waited until he couldn’t hear the footsteps of the soldiers anymore, then leaned back against the wall of his cell and concentrated.

 

_(Saber, are you all right?)_

_(I’m fine,)_ his younger twin said, though he sounded kind of annoyed. _(Gault was just being a bigger bastard than usual.)_

_(That’s hard to believe,)_ Slade said, gritting his teeth and hissing slightly as he thought of all the power-hungry General had done to them. _(I don’t really see how he could be any more of a bastard than he has been already.)_

_(Well, consider yourself lucky, then, big brother,)_ Saber said sardonically.

 

Slade didn’t know how to respond to his younger twin’s assertion, so he decided that it was best to change the subject. _(Do you think you’re still being watched, somehow?)_

_(I don’t know,)_ Saber said. _(I haven’t seen any cameras in here, but I’m not about to assume there aren’t some hidden around.)_

_(That’s probably a good idea,)_ he said, then paused as he realized something. _(How are you keeping them from seeing what you’re doing? The Commander told me that he could see the same thing on our foreheads that I can see.)_

_(Yeah, he told_ me _that, too,)_ Saber said, and Slade got the impression that his younger twin was thinking deeply about something; but then, Saber always had _some_ sort of plan when he was somewhere he didn’t want to be.

 

His brother was probably thinking of ways to get the both of them out of this place; Slade knew that he just had to trust his younger twin to get them through this. He didn’t know if his father would have approved of that, about him counting on someone who was younger than him - someone who he had promised to protect back when they were both normal boys - but anyone who had known the two of them could tell that Saber - and earlier, Cain - was a much better planner than he had ever been.

 

It wasn’t that he _couldn’t_ plan things on his own, it was just that Saber was the more inventive of the pair of them; if there was anyone Slade knew that he could count on to get them both out of this mess all right, it was Saber.

 

0010100111

 

When she’d woken up, about half an hour before her alarm would have interrupted her sleep and let her know that it was time for her to start getting ready for her day, Star hoped for a moment that the events of yesterday had been some kind of horrible dream. That, when she went to Slade’s room to check on him, she would find him there. Maybe staying with Saber, since the two of them _had_ been subjected to some pretty horrible things during yesterday’s battle with Darkon’s Spider-crabs, but she hoped that seeing someone familiar would help a little, at least.

 

Washing and dressing quickly, Star made her way down the corridor to the room that Slade had been assigned. On her way there, though, she met up with Ringo. Normally, she wouldn’t have thought anything of that, but it was the expression on his face that let Star know that this wasn’t like any of the other times she had met up with him in the corridors of the Command Center.

 

“I see you had the same idea,” Ringo said, shrugging in something that Star couldn’t help but know was a depressed sort of resignation. “They’re not here, Star,” he said, walking up so he could stand next to her. “The AEM arrested them yesterday, remember?” he asked, obviously trying to be as gentle as he could while he talked; Star still felt like her heart was breaking.

 

“I know,” she muttered, stricken. “I just hoped-”

 

“Yeah,” he cut in, stepping closer so he could pull her into a gentle, one-armed hug. “So did I.”

 

They stood like that for a few, long moments; each trying to draw some strength from the other’s presence. If she hadn’t been so worried about the twins, and if she hadn’t been desperately trying not to think of what Slade was feeling after he’d been separated from everyone who had tried to help him hold onto his humanity in the face of everything the Radam had done to him - not to mention everything the AEM was probably _going_ to do - she might have found the situation they were both in ironic. She still remembered the time when Ringo wouldn’t have cared nearly as much if something had happened to the twins.

 

It just went to show how much Slade and Saber had become an indispensable part of the Space Knights during the time that they had stayed with the team. It was so different from those first days, where the twins had worn the uniforms but there had still been an obvious - though mostly self-imposed on their parts - separation between the two of them and the rest of the Space Knights.

 

Star was glad that she, Ringo, Tina, and the others had managed to break down the walls that Slade and Saber had tried to put up between themselves and the rest of the world. She still didn’t know what they had suffered, what had made them think that isolating themselves in their various ways was the best option they had, but she was still determined to find out. Still, she knew that they would have to focus on rescuing the twins from the AEM and General Gault before she and the other Space Knights would be able to find out anything more about them.

 

And, they would probably need time to recover from whatever it was that General Gault and his forces were going to end up doing to them.

 

“Come on,” Ringo said gently. “Let’s go talk to the Commander. I’m sure he’s already got some idea how to handle this.”

 

Nodding wordlessly, not really feeling up to speaking at the moment, Star let Ringo lead her back down the corridors toward Comm. One. She hoped that the Commander _did_ have an idea or several about what they were going to be able to do for Slade and Saber; Star didn’t know what she was going to do, otherwise.

 

101001001

 

There had been nothing to find on the Space Ring, and so he’d returned to the Argos; Lord Darkon had been understanding, and Spear was glad for that.

 

It was odd, Spear reflected, how _silent_ the halls and corridors of the Argos were now; he knew why that was, and he knew that soon the ship would be filled with sound and life once more, but it was still odd to him to be in a place that had once been his home-away-from-home and to see it so desolate. Sitting on the bed that had been placed in his quarters, the bed that he’d never actually had a chance to use before Darkon and his Radam forces had come for him and the other members of the Argos’ crew, Spear reflected on how wonderful it would be when he finally managed to bring Ness and Cain back to Darkon’s fold.

 

 _And that woman, as well,_ he mused, thinking again of the dark-haired human who had been so quick to try to protect one of his younger brother’s from what she saw as a threat. It was an admirable thing, that courage she had displayed when facing what she must have seen as the worst threat possible. _Cain will be happy to see her again, at least._

 

Ness would probably tease him about his crush, since that was what Cain would have done under the same circumstances, and it seemed to be the prerogative of all siblings to tease each other about their romantic prospects. And, given the fact that she had been so willing to stand up to him as a mere human, it was clear that she would make a worthy Teknoman. Still, there was the matter of transporting her to Darkon’s vessel, since none of the teknoplants that had been cultivated on Earth were mature enough to produce teknopods as yet.

 

True, they were producing the nutrient gas that enabled others of their kind to receive extra sustenance, and that would serve to protect them from any humans who might seek to do them harm, but the fact remained that not one of them was mature enough to produce even a single teknopod of their own. If he was going to make that woman, whatever her name turned out to be, a true part of their family, then he would have to find a way to bring her to Lord Darkon’s vessel so that she could undergo her transformation, and also so that his misguided younger brothers could finish their own.

 

Rising from his bed, Spear made his way down the corridors of the Argos toward the kitchen area. Those few perishable supplies that had been carried on the ship had mostly been cleared out by the activities of his father and younger siblings, but Spear could remember with a wry sort of amusement the relief he’d felt when he realized that he couldn’t smell anything when he was wearing the armor that had been granted to him by the Radam’s transformation. Disposing of even the small amount of spoiled food that had accumulated in the Argos’ refrigeration unit would have been much more of an ordeal otherwise.

 

Still wearing a shadow of the amused smile that he’d worn when he’d been forced to carry spoiled food out of the Argos’ refrigerator, Spear reached the kitchen and looked around. He knew very well that he could simply return to Lord Darkon’s vessel if he desired to truly have his energy replenished, but he knew that his craving for food would not be satisfied if he did such a thing. This craving for food that he was experiencing was more a thing of the mind than the body, Spear knew. Besides, above and beyond all of those considerations, it would be nice to have a flavor in his mouth that he could actually identify.

 

There were still a few non-perishable food items stored in the kitchen, but there were still times that Spear wished he had the supplies to cook something. He enjoyed cooking, and beyond the practical reasons that someone would want to do such a thing, the activity had always served to settle his nerves when he was feeling on-edge. Still, being inside his teknopod served to relax him as well, and without any way of gathering the supplies that he would to prepare even the simplest meals for himself, Spear knew that he would just have to leave it at that for the time being.

 

Settling himself down at the only table in the Argos’ small kitchen area, the same one where his younger siblings and the few other members of the crew who had not gone into hyper-sleep for the journey had all taken their meals, Spear chewed thoughtfully on a stick of beef jerky. He knew that there had to be some method of getting his younger brothers to come back to Darkon’s fold with him, some way that he could convince them to see reason and abandon their futile struggle, he just needed some space to think. He was the eldest, it was his _duty_ to take care of his younger siblings; Ness and Cain just seemed to want to make that harder for him.

 

Or, perhaps it wasn’t a matter of _wanting_ at all; they _were_ misguided by their father’s interference, after all. He’d have to think on that, Spear mused, leaning back in the chair he was sitting on. Fleetingly, he wondered which of his younger siblings had sat there in the past.

 

1101010011

 

It was getting harder to keep track of time, Saber mused, as he ran through yet another kata. He didn’t know just what Gault and his cronies were planning, but whatever it was he didn’t like it. Sure, they’d been pretty hands-off so far, when they weren’t treating him with elaborate courtesy that he didn’t trust one bit, and all that even _without_ him having to punch one or more of them in the face. Not that he didn’t want to, but he was a feeling that doing something like that would be a hell of a lot more trouble than it was worth.

 

Scooping up the towel that had been draped over the edge of the single chair in his room by a soldier whose name he didn’t care to learn, Saber wiped the sweat from his face and neck as he made his way back to the bed that he’d been using while he was stuck in this room. He still had to keep himself in shape, not only for getting himself and Slade _out_ of this over-glorified prison, but because once they _had_ gotten out of here, they were going to have to go right back to fighting Darkon and the other Radam Teknomen.

 

There was just no way in hell that those Tekno-suits would be good for anything but hunting Spider-crabs.

 

Once he’d gotten the last of the sweat off his neck and shoulders, he tossed the towel back onto the chair, put his feet up on the bed, and began to do pushups with his left arm. Breathing deeply to focus himself on what he was doing, Saber still didn’t fail to notice the sound of the door to the quarters he’d been assigned sliding open. And, even though he was fully aware of just who it was that had come to visit him, he made it a point not to react.

 

He wasn’t going to give that asshole the satisfaction.

 

“I’m glad to see you’re keeping yourself in condition, Saber.” Gritting his teeth, biting back a stream of invective that would have made Grant Goddard himself sit back in surprise, Saber continued to put his body through its paces. “That’s what I like to see in a soldier.”

 

When he felt a hand on his back, moving up and down in synch with the rhythm that Saber had established for himself, Saber bit back a sigh as he continued moving. He was still determined not to give General Asshole the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of him, true, but now that the man was leaning over him, probably leering down that same way he’d been doing when Saber had first woken up to see his ugly face leaning over him... It was all Saber could do not to launch himself into an overhead heel-kick that would have shattered General Bastard’s skull when it connected.

 

That would have had severely unpleasant consequences, for all that it would have made him _very_ happy for a very short time.

 

Ignoring whatever else it was that Gault was trying to say to him, not wanting to tempt his desire to do something likely-fatal to the asshole who was holding him and Slade captive, Saber carefully shifted onto his right arm so he could give it the same kind of conditioning that he was working on in his left. After five more reps on his part, Gault finally left his room. He didn’t know just what had drawn the asshole off, and he honestly couldn’t have cared less.

 

Continuing through the routine that he had established for himself during whatever amount of time that he’d spent in this damned, stuffy hellhole, Saber cast his awareness out to someone else. Someone who’d once been just a room down the hall from him, when they were both still in the only place either of them felt like they belonged anymore.

 

_(Hey, brother; how’re you been holding up lately?)_

_(I’m doing all right,)_ Slade said, though there was something in his mental tone that Saber didn’t really like; something that made him think that his older twin was keeping something from him.

 

Like maybe Slade way lying to him, trying to keep him in the dark so he wouldn’t worry; didn’t work, he was still worried.

 

_(You sure about that? I don’t want to come down there and find you’ve been lying to me; you know that kind of thing annoys me.)_

_(I’m all right, Saber,)_ Slade said, sounding worn out but also like he was trying to hold himself together; though really, they were both trying to do that. _(I can stand this. How are you doing, Saber?)_

_(I guess I’m doing all right,)_ he said, breathing steadily as he finished his workout and climbed back to his feet.

 

Picking up the towel that he had discarded, Saber wiped the newly-accumulated sweat off of his face and neck then tossed the thing in the hamper he’d been provided with. He’d wondered, back when he’d been shoved into this room and left where he was, if every set of quarters in every base that had been made was built on the same plan. He’d long since stopped caring about stupid things like that, and focused all of his attention on planning how he was going to get himself and Slade out of this hellhole.

 

That was all that mattered to him anymore.

 

1010100111

 

_(Spear.)_

Looking up from his book, one of the few that he had brought with him onto the Argos since he had been slated to be placed in hyper-sleep when their journey had begun, Spear slipped his bookmark inside. Lord Darkon sounded particularly incensed, and for a moment Spear wondered if it had anything to do with his younger brothers. He hoped not, but there was always the chance.

 

 _(What do you need from me, Lord Darkon?)_ he asked, settling back on his bed. He didn’t know what he would be called on to do, but it was likely that he would be called to fight again.

 

 _(The humans have deployed their weapons on the Space Ring,)_ Lord Darkon said, sounding as if said weapons were a personal affront to him. _(They are becoming far too bold, and entirely too enamored of those weapons of theirs. I wish for you to show them the error of their ways.)_

_(Of course, my Lord,)_ he said, rising from his seat and making his way out of his room.

 

He would clearly have his work cut out for him, if he was to deal properly with the weapons that the humans were clearly deploying. It was clear that the humans were not content with simply accepting the inevitable, as they should have been; as Lord Darkon had said, it would fall to _him_ to teach them the error of their ways.

 

Leaving the Argos behind once more, Spear wondered for a moment if he would find that his younger brothers were a part of this assault; he hoped not, but there was always that chance...

 

0010100111

 

As he oversaw the transport and deployment of more of his soldiers to the Space Ring, those who would be overseeing Balzac’s progress and helping him to test the Tekno-suit under live-fire conditions, Gault tried to ignore Jamison’s inane blather. It wasn’t as if he’d ever find any of it relevant to his situation, and the man didn’t honestly know what he was talking about in any case.

 

“Jamison, are you going to be any help?” he asked, cocking his head slightly to address the man on the screen. “Or would you rather waste my time with your criticism.”

 

“General Gault, you know my suggestions always have a logical foundation.”

 

“I suppose that depends on your point-of-view, doesn’t it?” he needled, smirking slightly; anyone could see that the good Commander didn’t have one iota of power, here; this was _his_ territory.

 

“Let’s dispense with the pleasantries, General; I’m not in the mood,” Jamison said, obviously impatient despite his efforts to conceal it. “What I really want to talk to you about are the twins.”

 

“Well,” he said, in a considering tone, though both of them knew how this argument was _really_ going to go. “That’s classified information; you’ll have to demonstrate that you have a valid need-to-know.”

 

“These are _human beings_ we’re talking about,” Jamison protested, his voice barely changing inflection; Gault sometimes wondered what it would take to _truly_ make him angry.

 

“What we’re talking about is potential Military weaponry,” he said, opting not to mention anything about Saber; it certainly wasn’t any of Jamison’s business what he did with his people.

 

“You’ve had them in your _care_ for some time,” Jamison said, putting a particular emphasis on the word that told Gault he didn’t think that was the case. “Your new Tekno-suit is online. You don’t need either of the twins anymore, General.”

 

“What I need is _my_ business, Commander,” he snapped, beginning to become irate; that always seemed to be the pattern, when he engaged the Commander of the Space Knights in a debate: Jamison’s sheer unflappability would always seem to get the better of him.

 

It was infuriating.

 

“Very well, but I’m making whatever happens to those young men _my_ business, do you understand?”

 

Jamison cut their connection quickly after that, obviously having nothing left to say. Still, as long as he got what he wanted from Slade, Gault wasn’t going to concern himself with trivialities. Besides, Saber seemed to be settling in well enough; it likely wouldn’t be long before he would be able to send the boy out alongside Balzac and his squadron of Tekno-suits without having to concern himself with the possibility of the boy running off to rejoin Jamison’s Space Knights at the first opportunity he was given.

 

As he continued to listen to the reports from the combat-teams that he had already dispatched to the Space Ring, Gault smiled slightly. It seemed things were going better than ever; soon, he would have all the power he needed to drive the Radam away once and for all. And, once he did, he would be hailed as the man who saved Earth from the alien menace.

 

Him, not Jamison and those Space Knights of his.

 

“Get me the assault-commander aboard the Space Ring; I want a status-report on how well the new Tekno-suit is working!” he ordered; he tried not to think about Jamison and all of the annoyance that man had stirred up.

 

 _He_ was still going to be the one who got the glory, in the end.

 

0100100101

 

As he lead his combat\support-team deeper into the Space Ring, hunting down any of the Spider-crabs that he could find, Balzac smiled. Once he managed to get rid of all of them, he would likely be on the fast-track to another promotion. Grinning at the thought, even as he shot down yet another Spider-crab that had attempted to ambush them, Balzac kept moving.

 

“Men, now you see how well these crabs do against our new technology,” he said, after he’d shot yet another of the Spider-crabs, this one after it had actually managed to _capture_ one of his personnel. “Stick with me, and I’ll show you some more!” Two more Spider-crabs jumped out of hiding after he made that pronouncement; he grinned all the wider. “Ah, more volunteers for my demonstration!”

 

Targeting the space between them, Balzac increased the output of his Z-tron rifle and fired at that space. The energy-discharge vaporized the two Spider-crabs, and Balzac smirked with supreme pleasure as he prepared to move forward with his compatriots. _This is perfect! With this armor and weaponry, I’ll be a hero, and those Tekno-twins will be just a bad memory._

 

Even with everything that he’d lost, _that_ thought was still enough to make him happy; he’d have the fame and recognition that he’d been searching for all his life, even _without_

Marlowe there to share it with him.

 

0010100111

 

“What do you _mean_ , Gault won’t give them back?” he heard Star demand, as she slammed her hands down on the inert control-console just beside the one he was working at. “You’re just going to leave it at _that_?”

 

“Under current regulations, we’ve done everything we can,” he said, continuing to work on the computer virus that he had prepared; the one that would cripple the security-systems that Gault relied on, and open the way for Star and Ringo once they inevitably decided to take matters into their own hands.

 

“Commander Jamison, aren’t we even going to _try_ anything else?” Tina asked, sounding more plaintive than he had ever heard.

 

“These swivel-chair commandos, they’re all the same,” Ringo snarled. “ _All_ of them!” he heard the man’s fist slam into the wall, as his emotions became too much for him to deal with and maintain his composure. “I expected more from you, Jamison. We _believed_ in you, but you were just waiting to let us down like everyone else!”

 

“Why?”

 

“Oh, give it up, Star. What’s the point?” Ringo demanded, his scorn obvious. “You want me, I’m going for a walk; I don’t like how the air _smells_ in here.”

 

Star was the next to leave, following Ringo at a sprint; once the two of them met up, they would more than likely begin making their plans to infiltrate the Military headquarters. Or perhaps such a thing would be done on a whim; he knew better than most just how Star would act in the presence of an injustice, or when one of her close friends was in danger. This situation, which combined those two provocations, was hence far more likely to drive her to act than any other.

 

And, for the chance to give her and Ringo the means to bring Slade and Saber back to the home that those young men had so clearly made for themselves in the Space Knight Command Center, he was willing to bear the scorn of as many of his people as became necessary.

 

“Got to admit, I sure do miss them,” he heard Tina say, with a morose tone to her voice.

 

“Listen, Chief, I’ve got to tell you: we _all_ expected more. This isn’t _like_ you,” Maggie said, her surprise more than obvious.

 

“Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

 

“ _What_? Mac!”

 

As the footfalls of one of his best engineers faded out alongside those of one of the best of his technicians, Jamison continued his work. Nothing would truly be solved if he spent his energy attempting to console the people who worked under him. As much as he sometimes wanted to, he had learned through long, harsh experience to prioritize.

 

1101001010

 

“Hold on a minute, Mac!” she called, hurrying to catch up with her coworker as his quick, determined stride carried him down the corridor on his way back to the engineering section that they both spent so much time in. “You mean, we’re supposed to just go back to work as if nothing’s different?”

 

“Yes, that’s exactly what  I mean, Maggie,” Mac said, not even turning around, as the two of them continued on their way down the corridor.

 

“And, what about the twins?” she asked; she could still remember the kiss that she and Saber had shared under the moonlight almost a week ago; granted, the circumstances surrounding it hadn’t been the most romantic in the world, but she still wanted to have at least the _chance_ at another. Saber might have been a bit awkward at first, but once he’d gotten his bearings, he was really a pretty good kisser. Not to mention the way he had to be worrying about what was probably happening to Slade; heck, _she_ was worrying about what was happening to Slade, and she didn’t even _know_ what was happening. “Don’t you even care?”

 

“Of course I do,” he said, finally stopping so he could turn to look at her; it finally felt like he was talking _to_ her, rather than at her the way he’d been doing. “But, whatever the Commander’s done, I’m sure he has his reasons. Don’t you think _he_ feels bad about it?”

 

“What can we _do_?” she asked, finally feeling as if she was being heard.

 

“We’ve got work,” he said, the rolled up plans that he had been carrying as he came into the room with the rest of them still leaning against his shoulder. “People depend on us.” He tapped her on the forehead with those plans as he said that last thing.

 

“Ohh,” she said, glancing toward the plans; she didn’t quite remember what they were for at the moment, but then she’d been thinking about a lot of other things lately. She still was, really. “I know that, Mac.”

 

“Then act like it, lass,” he admonished, turning slightly away from her in an obvious prelude to walking away. The message was clear: he was leaving with or without her, but without would cause more problems.

 

“All right,” she said, resisting the urge to sigh; she’d done enough of that over the last few days. “But if anything happens to either of our boys, I’m going to be one upset redhead, understand?”

 

“I’m shaking,” Mac deadpanned, finally turning and beginning to make his way down the corridor. He brandished those plans of his like a battle-flag as he picked up speed. “Come on.”

 

11010100100

 

The computer virus was complete at last; able to bypass the security-systems that Gault had installed, and to provide Star and Ringo with the chance that they would need to bring Slade and Saber back home. Now, he just needed someone to upload it; someone who _wasn’t_ burdened with the myriad tasks of keeping the Space Knights and their various personnel working together and at as close to peak-efficiency as this war against the Radam would allow them to be.

 

“Tina?” he called, knowing that the young Space Knight was still in the room with him, even though he could hear her light footsteps carrying her away. “Come here, please.”

 

“Yes, sir?” she asked, sounding a bit apprehensive; he understood, though he often wished that she would settle more comfortably into her role, but something like that would take time. Everything took time, but time had become a precious resource lately.

 

“I want you to take this, and load it into the mainframe,” he said, handing her the flash-drive that he had used to save his work to.

 

“Um, okay, sir,” she said, looking from him to the flash-drive in her hands. “Ringo and the others are pretty upset right now, so with all due respect, if you’re going to try to talk to them, you might want to wait awhile.”

 

He heard her say that as he left the room. It was sound advice, and if he _had_ been going out for the reasons that Tina had surmised, he would have certainly taken her words to heart. However, there were many other things that required his attention, and many of them had nothing to do with the core group of his Space Knights. Tina might learn that in the future, if she ever chose to take up a position of command herself.

 

Of course, that wasn’t likely to happen until far in the future; Tina still had a lot to learn.

 

1010011110

 

Knocking one of the scientists who had been trying to examine him away, knowing that if he let them in close he would never be able to get away from them unless he gave them everything they wanted, Slade breathed heavily. He knew that they had to be lying about Saber, knew that his younger twin wouldn’t have cooperated with these sadists even if they had tried to offer him every one of his favorite foods _and_ a foot massage. His brief amusement at that mental image, something he’d deliberately thought up to distract himself from what was happening to him, had to be quickly put aside as the scientists began to crowd around him again.

 

Grabbing the scientist who’d come within his strike-range, Slade threw him against the wall.

 

He hadn’t had much energy to talk with Saber lately; the tests he was being forced through sapping both his strength and the mental focus he needed to carry on any kind of a meaningful conversation with his younger twin, and he could tell from the way Saber reacted that it was worrying him. He hated that; he didn’t want Saber to have to worry about _him_ , he was the one who should have been worrying about Saber.

 

Dad had told him to look out for his younger brother, but all he seemed to do lately was rely on _Saber_ to help _him_ ; he was sure that Dad would have been disappointed in him for that, if their father had still been alive to see it.

 

A lunge from another of the scientists surrounding him brought Slade’s attention firmly back to the present, reminding him that it wasn’t safe to let his attention wander anymore. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down around _these_ people. They weren’t like the Space Knights at all: any hint of weakness on his part, and they would be on him like sharks on a wounded fish.

 

He knew that from bitter experience.

 

“Get _away_ from me,” he snarled, his breath heaving from the exertion he’d already been put through by these bastards. “Don’t _ever_ touch me.”

 

“Slade, we’re not trying to hurt you,” the scientist who’d been trying to force him into one more of those tests that those sadists had set up for him said. “We just want to get a quick analysis of your Tekno-armor and its circuit-paths. We already have your brother’s data, but yours needs to be recorded to see if it differs in any way.”

 

“All that we need you to do is walk through this scanner,” another one of _them_ said, gesturing to a large, upright shape that Slade had heard Saber describe from his time in the care of the Space Knight doctors. “It’s not going to hurt. You can trust us; and what would your brother say, if he could see you acting like this? I think he’d be pretty disappointed.”

 

Slade wanted to punch him for that; lying to him, trying to use his feelings for Saber against him. He hated all of these people, and there were times that he was tempted to just kill them all and escape with Saber on his own. But, no; he wouldn’t be the monster that they so clearly wanted him to be.

 

He _wouldn’t_.

 

One of them began to close in on him again, and Slade braced himself as he saw _armored talons reaching out as if to touch his face._

_“I’m not going to hurt you, little brother,” Spear said, closing in even as Slade felt his own body freeze up. “I just want to help.”_

_There was no way that he would ever be able to fight Spear; not on his own, and certainly not in his human form. Forced to give ground as Spear closed in on him, Slade wondered desperately what had happened to Saber. Slade would never forgive himself if he let something happen to his younger twin; especially after the way he’d already made Saber worry because of what he was doing._

_When he felt Spear’s arms wrapping around him from behind - one of them curling around his waist in an eerie mimicry the way Saber would do when his younger twin wanted to comfort him, and the other supporting his right arm - Slade tried to break away. But, it was like he was paralyzed or something; he couldn’t move a muscle._

_“Here, little brother,” Spear said, his tone as frighteningly gentle as it had ever been. “Let me help you.”_

_He found that he couldn’t even move his arm the way he wanted it; either Spear’s grip was too tight, or there was something wrong with his body, but Slade found that all he could do was watch as Spear brought his armored arm up into line. His fellow Space Knights were standing in front of him, and Slade desperately wanted to yell to them; to tell them to run away and save themselves._

_He couldn’t even open his mouth._

_“Well done, little brother,” Spear said, as the blood-soaked remains of his and Saber’s fellow Space Knights fell to the ground. “I’m proud of you.”_

_He hated the fact that he couldn’t move, that he couldn’t turn and attack Spear for what he’d done; what his evil brother had made_ him _do. He tried to call for Saber, not having seen his younger twin with the rest of the Space Knights that Spear had made him butcher, and knowing that his younger twin would want revenge for that just as much as he did. And Saber would probably be able to_ get _that revenge._

_Anyone could see that_ he _couldn’t do anything._

_“We’ll be able to find Cain soon enough, Ness,” Spear said; Slade struggled all the harder, wanting to punch him, kick him, slash him,_ anything _to show that he was still himself. Anything to prove that he wasn’t completely useless. But he was, and all he could do was follow where Spear lead..._

 

Waking up, feeling his head swim from the after-effects of what had probably been another dose of sleeping gas, Slade curled up against the wall of his prison and shuddered. Sure, he knew now that he’d just been dreaming, but that didn’t change how helpless he was; it didn’t change how _useless_ he was. He’d always known that Saber was the stronger one, but he’d liked to think that the two of them could at least stand as equals sometimes.

 

He was learning better now, though. _Saber, I really wish I could be with you right now,_ he thought to himself, behind the mental walls that they’d both constructed in order to have at least some privacy, considering what they were. He didn’t want to put anymore pressure on his younger twin than he was sure was already there, though, so Slade didn’t call to him. He didn’t want Saber running himself ragged; the AEM was doing more than enough of that for both of them.

 

101001001

 

He’d spent more than enough time in this area of this particular base to get used to it, and to know that this was also at least reasonably close to where they were keeping Slade. His older twin had sounded more and more worn-down as Saber had talked to him, and as the conversations themselves had become more spaced out, he’d started to worry. Not that he hadn’t already _been_ worried, since the two of them had never been forcibly separated for this long, at least not without doing something drastic to the person responsible for the initial separation, anyway.

 

He’d just become moreso, given how Slade was seemingly withdrawing from the world in general and him in particular.

 

Carefully moving down the corridor in front of him, making sure that anyone who saw him would just think he was going down to have lunch, Saber made his way toward the place where he could sense Slade’s mental signature the strongest. He’d had more than enough of playing the good little soldier-boy for these fuckers.

 

101001001

 

When she’d left to find Ringo, after seeing the Commander being so infuriatingly nonchalant about what was happening to the twins while the Military was holding them captive, he’d looked just about as furious as she’d felt at the prospect of what was going on. The two of them had talked for awhile, and finally decided to go see if they could at least pay a visit to them. They’d been close friends with both of those boys, her personal feelings for Slade notwithstanding, and if this was the only thing they could do then it would have to be enough.

 

But now, all they seemed to be running into was a dead end.

 

“I said _out_!” the soldier who had been shoving Ringo out of the corridor said; the one next to him, pushing her, was silent. Infuriatingly so.

 

“All right, all right!” Ringo said, as the two of them were shoved out into the corridor entirely. “Don’t get so huffy about things. We’re just trying to see our friends, all right?”

 

“Leave, right now. Before you get into more trouble,” the larger soldier, the one who’d been shoving her, said with the kind of deadpan tone that made her want to punch his face in under the circumstances.

 

Slamming her right fist into his stomach, Star finished the job with a crushing elbow-strike to his back once he had doubled over from the pain. She was _so_ very tempted to finish the job by crushing his neck under her heel, but the momentary temptation passed and she was profoundly grateful that she hadn’t acted on it. That man had been doing his job, and as much as she might have resented him in the heat of the moment, he really didn’t deserve to die for that.

 

“You know, you could have said something,” Ringo said, having taken out the other solder with a single chop to the left side of his neck.

 

“I’m _tired_ of talking. I’m going to _do_ something,” she said, taking in the expression of mild shock on his face and dismissing it just as quickly as she’d seen it. “You with me? Let’s do it.”

 

She didn’t know just what Ringo said when she began making her way down the corridors at high-speed, but he followed along right after her as she moved. That was good; she didn’t want to have to punch him for being stupid.

 

001001000

 

As he and his support crew continued on their way through the Space Ring, bushwhacking Spider-crabs and killing them as they tried to attack, Balzac felt a slight, niggling annoyance. He’d run out of ammo, and was now forced to wait as some of his people caught up with him.

 

“Where’s my support-squad?” he called, finally having had enough and wanting to hurry them up. “Get those energy-packs changed. Hurry up! Come on, let’s go. Keep your eyes peeled,” he said, having spotted the remains of a Spider-crab or two lying on the floor a bit back the way they’d all come. “There’s a lot more where they came from.”

 

“Lieutenant, my sensors are picking up a large object, coming this way-” before the tech at the scanner could say anything more, the doors just in front of them - closed in the absence of power to open them - exploded inward. At first, all he could see was the near-blinding, swirling light of the explosion, but as the fires began to die down from the lack of usable oxygen in the Space Ring, he began to see just who was standing in front of him.

 

 _It_ can’t _be!_ But the figure standing in front of him remained right there, casually defying everything he’d known from his briefings.

 

“Well now, this is interesting,” the Teknoman named Spear said.

 

010010010

 

“I don’t believe it!” he exclaimed, seeing the Teknoman that had suddenly appeared in front of Balzac and his group. The creature was brazen, he had to give it that; now, they only had to find a way to kill it. “Give me a read-out!”

 

“General, sensors show that it _is_ a Teknoman: Spear.”

 

“Sir, our instruments indicate that Balzac is having intermittent problems with his power-circuits.”

 

 _Balzac, make it work,_ he thought fiercely. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that any of the current combatants would be able to hear him, but he couldn’t help it. He’d seen the kind of destructive power that Jamison’s Teknomen could unleash at whim, and while he had both of them contained for the moment, there was simply no chance of him being able to dispatch Saber at this point.

 

It wasn’t even a matter of the boy being a potential flight risk, there was simply no _time_ to round him up, give him his marching-orders, and send him to assist Balzac and the others. Everything rested on the first Tekno-suit now. He would only have to hope that his faith in Balzac hadn’t been misplaced in the end.

 

He hated it, but in the end he was powerless.

 

1101001001

 

“How adorable, a little tin Teknoman,” Spear chuckled. “Why don’t you let me help break your new suit in?” Spear seemed to consider something for a moment. “Actually, I think I’d rather just _break_ it,” Spear laughed outright this time.

 

“Hey, Spear, why don’t you do us _both_ a favor and leave?” Balzac asked, his confidence clearly audible in his voice, even over the mild distortion of the Tekno-suit’s speakers.

 

“Oh I’ll be leaving soon, little man,” Spear practically cooed. “But not before I get to take your adorable little suit apart. I think I’d like to see what makes it tick. And, while I’m at it, I suppose I’ll take _you_ apart, too.” Spear’s chuckles turned quickly to outright laughter.

 

Raising his Tekno-suit’s Z-tron rifle, Balzac fired five blasts of energy straight into Spear’s face. Spear, for his part, just stood there and let the blasts hit him. The little insect would learn to fear his power soon enough.

 

“That got him,” Balzac said, and grinned.

 

Once the light caused by all the energy that had been released had a chance to clear, Balzac saw that Spear wasn’t as gone as he had thought the Teknoman would be. In fact, Spear wasn’t even scratched.

 

“Was that supposed to _impress_ me?” Spear asked, sounding more bored than anything, his right pointer finger tapping on his folded arms.

 

“I don’t believe this!” Balzac shouted, firing his rifle up until the power cell was completely depleted.

 

Thinking that there was no way that even Spear could have survived that kind of an onslaught, Balzac relaxed. He relaxed, that is, until the light started to clear again. Spear stood there, again completely unscathed. Dry firing until he realized that he was out of power, Balzac started to slowly back away.

 

“You seem to be having a problem,” Spear said calmly, closing the distance between himself and Balzac with slow, sure strides.

 

The group of military soldiers raced forward to form a protective barrier between Balzac and Spear. Spear scoffed, looking at all the soon-to-be-dead insects that were trying to keep him from his chosen target. Lunging forward, Spear impaled one of the ‘soldiers’ through the chest. The tip of his weapon stuck about two inches out the insect’s back. Twisting his blade, Spear ripped it out.

 

It took a fair amount of the insect’s chest with it, but Spear didn’t care very much about that. The next insect to die was one who foolishly tried to blindside him. Spear’s punch easily crushed his opponent’s skull. Spear thought that the deep red blood that now decorated his pale-colored armor made a very nice contrast indeed. Laughing, Spear took a moment to select his next target.

 

He needn’t have bothered. The next soldier, seeing two of his friends die at the armored hands of the Radam monster, came charging right at Spear. Full of rage and righteous fury, he didn’t even see Spear’s hands come back up. Catching the insect in a stranglehold, Spear was mildly disappointed to note that the insect’s own momentum didn’t cause his neck to snap.

 

Then, Spear decided that that wasn’t so bad, after all, as he slowly crushed the insect’s neck. It was somewhat amusing, Spear thought, to watch him kick and struggle. _Pity he can’t scream right now, but I suppose that one can’t quite have_ everything _one wants,_ Spear laughed to himself. Another one of the insects tried to tackle him, Spear threw him off, then crushed the insect’s neck with his foot.

 

Now, though, the game was starting to lose its novelty. So Spear pulled out his lancer again. Diving forward, Spear swung his lancer in a broad arc, catching a great deal of the alleged soldiers amidships. His lancer tore them in half at their waists, and Spear laughed. Turning to the other group, Spear hacked them to bloody pieces before any of them could even think to try to avenge their pitiful brethren.

 

Now only three of the insects stood between Spear and his chosen target. Laughing as he ripped into them, Spear reveled in the screams that he could still hear over his own laughter. The blood that now coated him liberally was only cause for more laughter.

 

Balzac, meanwhile, was frantically reloading his Z-tron rifle. He knew that the soldiers who had been assigned to his unit were dying with frightening speed and suddenness. He also knew that there was no way in hell that he would be able to do anything for them. So he focused on saving his own skin.

 

When he had finally managed to gather up all the remaining power packs, Balzac heard a coldly amused chuckle coming from behind him.

 

“So, now it’s just you and me,” Spear said. “How perfect. Come now, show me what that little toy of yours can do.”

 

“It can do _this_!” Balzac shouted, firing again into Spear’s face, hoping to somehow distract the evil Teknoman.

 

“This is getting very boring,” Spear said dully, once the crackling energy surrounding him had had a chance to clear again. “Is this _really_ all you can do?”

 

But by then, Balzac had already taken the opportunity to turn tail and run. He didn’t know just how far he was going to get, not with Spear practically breathing down his neck, but giving up without a fight just wasn’t in his nature. Besides, he owed at least _something_ to General Gault for giving him this kind of opportunity for fame and glory. He just had to get to one of the spaceports and get his hands on a shuttle.

 

 _Why do they always have to try and scurry away?_ Spear wondered to himself with more than a little amusement. These pitiful little insects could never hope to escape from him once he had decided to hunt them, but it was kind of fun to watch them try. So Spear decided to let this one run his little race, it would make it all the more fun when Spear caught him.

 

Willing the dim light in this section of the Space Ring to bend around him, Spear rendered himself invisible. The hunt was now on.

 

110101001

 

Saber stood just inside the door of the room he was sheltering in, waiting for those bastard doctors and scientists to come back and try something; most of them were running around like headless idiots, but there were still a few competent ones running around loose. He would make them all regret ever taking him away from his brother. When the door finally opened, Saber’s first reaction was instinctive, understandable, and completely miscalculated. Putting most of his considerable strength behind a hard straight punch, Saber didn’t even consider that there might be someone friendly on the other side of the door.

 

Feeling his fist slam into someone’s face, Saber was more than a bit surprised to hear Ringo’s familiar voice.

 

“Thanks a lot, Saber!”

 

“Ringo! Sorry about that,” Saber said.

 

Ringo was now sprawled out in the middle of the hallway after having opened the door in front of him. There was a small trickle of blood running out of his nose. The two Space Knights had first made for Slade’s cell, since it had turned out to be the closest to where they had come in. But, once they had seen how exhausted and dispirited Slade had been, Ringo had insisted that they go look for Saber.

 

“So, I’m going to guess that it wasn’t us that you were expecting to come in here,” Ringo said, seeming to get over his anger faster than either Star or Saber would have expected.

 

“No. Not really. Have you found Slade yet?”

 

“Yeah, we found him before we found you. But he’s in pretty bad shape, so I thought that it would help if we found you first, and then brought you to him.”

 

“Good thinking,” Saber nodded. “All right, let’s get going.”

 

Ringo, hauling himself up off of the floor with Saber’s help, dusted himself off and pulled out a piece of tissue to wipe his nose on. Tossing it carelessly to the ground, Ringo smirked. _I wonder if General Fathead and his idiot cohorts would mind that I just used their base for a trashcan._ Ringo shook his head, focusing on where he was going.

 

He could practically _hear_ Saber fidgeting behind him, not that anyone else would be able to tell he was doing it. Saber was almost as quiet and self-contained as Slade was, but he covered those traits with his near constant jokes and cutting remarks. Only someone who had known Saber long enough to know that all the banter really _was_ a cover would be able to appreciate just how similar Saber and Slade were.

 

Saber was also extremely protective of his older twin, and Ringo pitied anyone stupid enough to awaken Saber’s wrath by harming Slade. _Some people say beware the fury of a patient man, I say beware the fury of a Teknoman._ Ringo smirked, thinking of just what Saber was going to do if he ever managed to get his hands on General Fathead. It would be spectacularly messy, that was for sure.

 

“Well, here we are,” Ringo sighed. “I gotta warn you though, Saber. It’s not pretty.”

 

“Neither is General Gault’s fat, veiny ass,” Saber drawled.

 

“What?” Ringo blinked, not knowing what to make of Saber’s last statement. Beside him, Star choked on a laugh.

 

“Just open the door,” Saber said, sighing.

 

“Okay. But please tell me you didn’t have a chance to see General Gault’s fat, veiny ass,” Ringo pleaded jokingly.

 

“Thankfully, no,” Saber smirked.

 

Star was snickering quietly now. No matter what the situation was or how dire, if it didn’t involve Slade being harmed, Saber would find a way to lighten it. Ringo opened the door, and Saber rushed in without another word. He was at Slade’s side in the time it took Ringo to blink twice. Sitting down on Slade’s bed, Saber began to gently stroke his brother’s hair.

 

“Slade, can you hear me?” Saber asked hoping for but not really expecting a response.

 

Ringo and Star had mutually decided that it was best to let Saber handle the job of getting Slade back into the land of the lucid. Saber always seemed to know just what to do and what to say to get his brother to listen. Of course, there had been a few times that Slade had been stubborn enough to ignore the advice of his younger twin, but all in all Slade and Saber were incredibly good at keeping each other out of trouble.

 

 _Slade’s just a little too self-sacrificing for his own good,_ Ringo thought. Saber, having been with Slade long enough to tolerate - if not understand or condone - his brother’s tendency to try and take the weight of the world on his shoulders, was often the perfect one to talk him out of his funks. Sure Saber had a temper, and he would sometimes smack Slade upside the head and tell him he was being an idiot, but only when Slade really _was_ being an idiot.

 

But this time Slade seemed to be beyond even Saber’s reach. Ringo was just glad that Saber was more patient with Slade than he had ever been. Slade needed someone who could deal with his drastic and mostly negative moods, and yes, occasionally to slap some sense into him when he was being especially moronic.

 

Without the slightest hint of warning, Slade jerked himself upright and buried his face in Saber’s chest. Saber didn’t seem the least bit surprised, though, and Ringo hoped again that Saber would be able to reach Slade past whatever self-imposed barriers Slade had put up when he was in the military’s ‘care’. Slade was shivering, and Saber had started to rub his brother’s head.

 

“Calm down, brother, I’m here for you now. I won’t leave you again, I promise.”

 

Watching from the sidelines, Star and Ringo looked for any sign that Saber’s words were having the desired effect, both Space Knights were hoping that being able to see his brother again would have positive effect on Slade. So far, it seemed to be working.

 

When Slade finally looked up, emerald green eyes hollow and dark from all the things he had seen or thought he had seen, his reaction was not the one that any of the other people in the room would have expected.

 

“What are you doing here?” Slade asked dully, looking up at Saber.

 

“What kind of a stupid question is that?” Saber was confused; he had expected Slade to be happy to see him, but Slade looked as if Saber was the last person in the world he wanted to see.

 

“Why did you come here? You should have gotten out of here when you had the chance. Leave me here, I’m not worth it. I’m not worth anything.” As he spoke, Slade had been turning his face away from his younger twin.

 

By the time Slade had finished speaking, he was staring blankly at a point just below Saber’s right shoulder.

 

Saber, meanwhile, had to work to control a strong urge to slap his brother upside the head. Hitting Slade wouldn’t do any good with the state his brother was in now. Grabbing Slade’s chin, Saber forced his brother to look at him.

 

“Don’t you _ever_ say things like that, you hear me? You’re worth a lot, to me and a lot of people,” Saber hissed. “If I ever hear something like that out of you again, I’m going to hit you hard enough that you’re going to wake up wondering what _continent_ you’re on.”

 

“Why bother?” Slade asked dully, not seeming to hear anything his brother was saying.

 

“Because I love you, you idiot,” Saber spat.

 

Ringo sighed, this was going even worse than he had thought it might. It was a good thing that they had Saber to help them deal with Slade. Otherwise, Ringo might have been tempted to try a more ‘hands-on’ approach to dealing with Slade’s depression. Of course, Saber looked like he just might want to try something like that himself.

 

But either Saber had more restraint when it came to dealing with Slade, or he just knew that his brother wouldn’t respond well to even more rough treatment. Whatever the case was, Saber just sat there and glared.

 

“Do you know how much trouble we went through to get to you, Slade?” Ringo asked. “Star knocked out a couple guards to get us into this place. Then we found your brother and brought him here to see you.”

 

“Then you wasted your time,” Slade said with finality.

 

“I won’t argue with you there, pal,” Ringo said, ignoring the scathing death-glare that Saber shot him for that remark. “But you and your brother both have a job to do. We need you boys to help save the world. So get up, and stop feeling sorry for yourself.”

 

“Ringo’s a bit more blunt about it than I would be, brother. But he is right, for once. I can’t do this kind of thing on my own. We all need you, Slade. You should know that by now,” Saber said.

 

“Go away,” Slade said dully.

 

Ringo sighed and threw his hands up in the air in disgust. “You _can_ do something about this little attitude problem your brother’s having now, right Saber?”

 

“I intend to try,” Saber said firmly.

 

Star, standing off to the side, looked sadly at Saber and Slade. Saber was trying, he really was, but Slade seemed to be determined to ignore the efforts his brother was making. It wasn’t a good situation.

 

101001001

 

Running in his Tekno-suit wasn’t quite as easy as Balzac had expected it would be, but at least he couldn’t see Spear anywhere behind him. It might have been a little too much to hope that the crazed, evil Teknoman had given up. _But, at least I managed to buy myself some time,_ Balzac silently congratulated himself. That was when he felt something hard slamming into his back.

 

“Did you really think you could get away from me?” Spear asked, appearing out of literally nowhere. “I will admit, though. For an _insect_ , you ran a surprisingly good race.”

 

“Back off, Spear! I’m warning you!” Balzac aimed his Z-tron rifle at Spear’s face, hoping to distract the Teknoman while he looked for a shuttle.

 

“You’re warning me,” Spear said boredly. “About _what_?”

 

With an incoherent yell, Balzac fired off another barrage of Z-tron pulses. This time though, Spear did something that he hadn’t bothered to do any other time that Balzac had attacked him: he dodged. Jumping out of the way of the bright flares of energy, Spear heard them burn the air briefly as they passed him by.

 

Slamming into the little tin insect with all the force he had, Spear drove him right into the wall of the Space Ring. For Balzac it felt like he’d been hit by a speeding car, even _with_ the protection provided by his Tekno-suit. Balzac bit back a scream as Spear began to hammer him with punches that would have crushed his bones if it hadn’t been for the layers of metal protecting his body, and still came damn near to doing that anyway.

 

Balzac couldn’t stop himself from stumbling as Spear kicked him in the back, but he got to his feet with just barely enough time to dodge the Teknoman’s follow-up punch. What annoyed Balzac the most was that Spear was actually _laughing_ at him, as if everything that he was doing was funny, as if there nothing he could do that would stop Spear from winning.

 

Balzac hated that. He was the one who controlled his own destiny, and he was currently in possession of the most powerful weapon ever designed by human hands. It should have been a clear win for him, and instead Spear was kicking him around like a soccer ball. That wouldn’t do.

 

Spear wound up and delivered another crushing haymaker, this time to Balzac’s head. Balzac worked his jaw to make sure it hadn’t been broken, and then dodged the follow-up kicks that Spear delivered next. Spear, on top of being inhumanly fast and strong, was also tougher than any opponent that Balzac had ever faced. Being a street brat, he’d faced off with some of the more vicious thugs that Earth’s slums could throw at him.

 

That was what had made him so much better than those brainless Spider-crabs that the Radam kept sending: he could outthink them. And _he_ didn’t have that ridiculous time-limit that those freaks that’d been working for the Space Knights did; that was what made him better than Saber and Slade.

 

All that being true, however, _why the hell couldn’t he beat Spear?!_

 

He was knocked out of his little pity-party by one of the aforementioned Teknoman’s fists, then forced to duck quickly to avoid being impaled on the end of his enemy’s namesake weapon.

 

“Well, it seems you were paying more attention to your surroundings than I gave you credit for. Such a shame,” Spear drawled. “I suppose I have no choice now but to _beat_ you to death.”

 

His teeth clenched too tightly to speak, Balzac growled deep in his throat. There _had_ to be a way for him to win this!

 

010010010

 

His left cheek pressed against his brother’s hair, which seemed to be pretty much the only contact that Slade would allow, Saber tried to think of what he could use to snap his brother out of the deep pit of self-loathing that he’d obviously sunk himself into. Nothing was coming to mind.

 

It wasn’t a good situation; here they were, in the center of a military base that was under the control of a power-hungry sadist, and all Slade seemed to want to do was mope. He probably had good reasons; the conditions that those military bastards had kept him in had only been comfortable under the loosest definition of the word, and the treatment had bordered on the sadistic. While he might joke with Slade about his being ‘dull and broody’, he could understand.

 

They’d been through almost the exact same hell, after all; and worse, they’d been separated.

 

He and Slade were the only hope that Ringo and Star had of getting out of this base; he just had to get Slade back on his feet and ready to fight. Unfortunately for all of them, that seemed like it would be easier said than done.

 

 _(You shouldn’t rely on me anymore, Saber,)_ Slade said, his mental voice as dull and lifeless as his physical one. _(I’m weak; I’m useless,)_ Slade continued, burying his face deeper in Saber’s chest; Saber thought for a moment that he could feel his brother crying. _(I can’t help you anymore.)_

_Okay, there’s a time and a place for delicacy, and this sure as hell isn’t it,_ he mused, behind his mental barrier. _(Hold that thought for a second,)_ he said, trying to make himself seem as calm as he really wasn’t. Pushing his older twin back from his resting place, Saber noticed in a flash that his brother _had_ been crying. He wasn’t about to let that stop him, though.

 

His open-palmed strike knocked Slade’s head sideways, but the look on his older twin’s face hadn’t changed a bit. “Are you done being stupid yet, big brother?” Slade didn’t move, just continuing to stare blankly at the spot on the floor where his head was coincidentally pointed at. After a few seconds, when Slade’s eyes began to brighten slightly, Saber thought he’d gotten through to him.

 

But, all Slade did was curl up against him again, folding inward like a tent without a center-pole. _(I guess I really am hopeless, aren’t I?)_ he asked, and Saber got the impression that the question was a rhetorical one; didn’t mean it pissed him off any less. _(You should leave with Star and Ringo. Just- just stay for a bit longer, please? I- I don’t want to be alone yet.)_

_(You’re not_ ever _going to be alone, you idiot spaz,)_ he said, trying to rein in his growing desire to punch his idiot of an older twin in the head; he’d already slapped him and that hadn’t seemed to do any good, so he didn’t think just escalating the level of violence would do even a bit of good. _(We’re all going to be heading back to the Command Center together, get me? Now, just shut up if you don’t have anything useful to say.)_

 

A long silence, and then: _(Sorry.)_

 

Saber sighed, resting his chin on top of his older twin’s head; he really wanted to find the person responsible for this and strangle them, unfortunately that wasn’t really possible.

 

0001001001

 

 _More insects,_ he mused, not entirely certain if he was more amused or annoyed by the prospect. True, these creatures died particularly easily, but they were also a distraction from his ultimate goal of crushing the worm in the armor. It _was_ an amusing little toy, he had to admit, and if he hadn’t been so concerned for the welfare of his two younger brothers, Spear would have been willing to play with the worm and his insect cohorts. At the moment, however, the state of Ness and Cain had to take precedence over his own amusement.

 

As the insects began firing on him again, becoming rather annoying in light of the fact that he hadn’t yet dealt with the worm, Spear swung his lancer and unleashed a barrage of electrical energy at them. The blast scattered the insects again, but the worm had already moved to capitalize on his momentary distraction. True, the blast the worm fired at him was completely inadequate for the task of breaching his armor, and the worm screamed in a particularly satisfying manner when Spear fired a bolt of electricity at _him_ , but his concentration had still been divided by these creatures.

 

That fact was rather annoying, for all that it was still true.

 

1010100111

 

He didn’t know just why Star and Ringo were still standing in his cell; they’d found Saber, and anyone could see that _he_ wasn’t going to be any use fighting Spear. _(You shouldn’t be here, Saber. You shouldn’t worry about me like this. I can’t help you fight Spear; I can’t protect you from the Spider-crabs... I couldn’t even protect you from Balzac when he was hurting you.)_

_(Don’t say stupid things.)_ Slade could feel it when his younger twin inhaled, and then the feel of Saber’s breath through his hair when he sighed.

 

 _(It’s... it’s like what happened to Conrad,)_ he said, knowing that he had to explain further if he was going to be able to make Saber see; he _needed_ his younger twin to understand this.

 

 _(What does our psychotic older brother have to do with anything?)_ Saber asked, and Slade got the impression that his younger twin’s patience was starting to run out.

 

That was all right, he didn’t expect Saber to be patient with him; he didn’t deserve it. _(Within me is the same evil that drove Conrad insane; I can’t control it. It’s too much for me, brother. You’ve always been stronger than me. I’m sorry.)_

_(That... is the single_ stupidest _thing I have ever heard you say,_ Nessie _.)_ Slade was stunned enough by the fact that Saber had used _that_ name - he hadn’t heard it since the two of them were human, and he hadn’t thought that he _would_ ever hear it again - that even the feel of his younger twin’s hands clenching against his back didn’t faze him so much as _that_.

 

_(What do you mean, Saber?)_

 

“Are you boys all right?” Star asked, inadvertently reminding him that there were other people in the room besides him and Saber. “You’ve both been so silent.”

 

“We’re fine,” Saber said, sounding like he was either rolling his eyes or he wanted to. “Slade’s just being more of an idiot than usual, that’s all.”

 

“You’ve been using that selective telepathy of yours, haven’t you?” Ringo asked, though it sounded more like a flat statement.

 

“How _ever_ did you guess?” Saber retorted, and Slade could tell that his brother was probably smirking at Ringo.

 

“You two might not have noticed this, but there are these funny little symbols that appear in the center of your foreheads sometimes,” Ringo said; he was probably pointing to his own forehead when he said that. “I didn’t know what to make of them at first, but since you said that they show up whenever you use that telepathy of yours, I think I can guess.”

 

“That’s why you both covered your foreheads, that time when we’d all just gotten back from the mall,” Star said, in the tone of someone who’d just had a revelation. “Who were you talking to, back then?”

 

Saber sighed, or he might have just laughed, soft and rueful. “Spear. And not by choice, either.”

 

“ _Spear_?” Ringo echoed. “What in the world did _he_ want?”

 

“Something he was never, and _is_ never, going to get,” Saber said, firmly enough that Slade knew that that was all he was going to say.

 

No matter who else asked him; his younger twin was firm that way, when he was sure of something.

 

1101010010

 

“My younger brothers, where are they?” the evil Teknoman asked, as if the two of them were just having a nice chat over coffee; he didn’t know just what was in that alien freak’s head, but hell if _he_ was going to fall for it.

 

“I’d worry about _myself_ , if I were you,” he shot back, bravado lacing his tone.

 

“Under the circumstances, I rather doubt that,” the freak said flatly, armored fingers tapping against the shaft of his weapon. “I will give you one, last chance, insect: tell me where my younger brothers are, and I might spare you.”

 

Gritting his teeth - who the hell did this alien freak think he _was_ , trying to give a soldier orders like that?! - Balzac hissed through them. He wouldn’t do anyone any good if he let this freak rile him up and then ended up getting killed because of if. Still, he’d be damned if he let some Radam freak get the better of _him_ ; no matter how many fancy tricks he had.

 

Dodging back and away from the evil Teknoman to give himself more maneuvering room, Balzac fired up his Tekno-suit’s thrusters, curved his flightpath around the immobile figure, leaped up onto one of the bulkheads that hadn’t yet been brought down by all the fighting, and leaped off it so that he was coming down behind and above the armored alien freak.

 

“I’ve got enough firepower here to take out two of you, Spear!” he crowed in triumph, firing six shots of hot Z-tron into the evil Teknoman’s back. “You’re _finished!_ ”

 

“Of course you do,” the evil Teknoman said, his tone so dry and completely deadpan even as he was enveloped by the bright, coruscating sphere of power that had obliterated so any of those damned Spider-crabs, that Balzac knew he couldn’t just leave it at that.

 

Firing two more shots into the rapidly-expanding sphere of deadly light and energized particles, Balzac watched in satisfaction as Spear’s tall, broad-shouldered, sharply-pointed silhouette was completely obliterated by the light. However, once he had retracted his rifle and the light from the Z-tron reaction began to die down, Balzac saw the worse possible thing, under the circumstances, that he had never hoped to see: Spear’s silhouette emerging from the light.

 

What was worse was that he looked completely unscathed by all of the power that Balzac had poured into the shots hitting his armor, and on top of that, the evil Teknoman was coming toward him. Slowly, almost deliberately, and inexorable as a rogue wave.

 

“That little toy of yours isn’t _nearly_ as impressive as you think it is, insect,” the evil Teknoman said, his tone as deadpan as it had ever been.

 

“I don’t _believe_ this!” He fired for all he was worth, he fired four times, before he finally realized that he was out of ammo yet again. “Back off! Get back!” he shouted, frantically giving ground before the deadly, armored apparition in front of him. “Where’s my support squad?! Cover me! Cover me!”

 

As the group of soldiers who had come up to the Space Ring with him opened fire on the Teknoman in front of him, Balzac breathed a brief sigh of relief. “It’s about time! Keep firing; I’ll be back to handle him after I reload.”

 

Leaping over Spear’s head, with a short burst from his thrusters to help his large, comparatively bulky armored form make it the rest of the way, Balzac landed behind the defensive line that his support-squad was maintaining. Without any kind of pause, not even having the time to catch his breath no matter _how_ much he wanted to, Balzac began the process of reloading his Z-tron rifle. He was _definitely_ going to be taking some extra ammo, this time.

 

“This farce no longer amuses me,” he heard the evil Teknoman say, actually displaying a sort of emotion for the first time since this part of their battle had begun. _What_ he was displaying, however, wasn’t particularly promising. “I suppose I should show you at last, the true discrepancy between your feeble powers, and mine.”

 

Balzac wondered for a moment just what Spear was about to do, since it looked like the evil Teknoman was gathering himself for something, when he remembered just what it was that those freak-brothers could do when _they_ had needed to clear a roomful of Spider-crabs.

 

 _Mother of God..._ “Please, no!” he pleaded, not really knowing who he was speaking to but knowing all the same that it was futile.

 

As the awesome, terrible red light bore down on him and all of the members of his squad, streaming out in coherent beams before converging on their intended targets, Balzac at last managed to tear his attention away from red death closing in on him at speed. Turning a 180 as quickly as he could, since his Tekno-suit hadn’t exactly been designed with tight turns in mind, Balzac could hear the screams of those men he’d left behind in an effort to put as much distance as he could between himself and burning red death as possible.

 

He only heard the screams for a few moments, as the men and women doing the screaming were wiped out of existence by the powerful energies that Spear had unleashed on them. He was distantly thankful for that, but the whole of his world had become heat and pressure and pain, leaving precious little room for coherent thought. He _was_ determined to survive this ordeal, but he was beginning to think that determination alone wasn’t going to be enough.

 

It wasn’t a comforting thought.

 

1101001001

 

As he stood there, watching the utter obliteration of the forces that he had ordered dispatched to the Space Ring to deal with the Radam occupying it, Gault was too horrified to speak for a few, long moments.

 

“General, we’ve lost contact with three of our squads on the Space Ring,” one of his underlings spoke up, clearly more level-headed than he was feeling at the moment. “We’ve got a report coming in from the fourth squad right now.”

 

“-what’s left of my squad; thousands of Spider-crabs are-” the image of the man making the transmission went to static as his signal cut out. “-Can’t-” more static. “-much longer, General! We need help, and right now!” the image went to static for the last time, as the soldier’s comm. link cut out entirely.

 

Groaning in fear and fury as he leaned over the banks of monitors that lined nearly every square-inch of the monitoring room, Gault tried to stay on his even though he felt as if all the strength had gone out of his legs. _I don’t believe it! The Tekno-suit is gone! There’s no defense against the Radam; we’re_ helpless _!_

 

He couldn’t even hope to salvage this situation by sending Saber out to deal with the invading Radam horde; the boy would never get there in time, for one thing, and no one was quite sure where he’d gone in all the chaos, for another. There was no hope anymore.

 

010101111

 

 _(I’ve cleared the way for you; go now,)_ he ordered the legions of Spider-crabs that he had been placed in command of by Lord Darkon when he had been deployed to the Space Ring to deal with the new weapons-system that the humans had deployed. _(Deal with the humans; make sure they can’t get in our way anymore. I will deal with the traitors.)_

 

He had been right: that armored suit that he had been facing might have been a completely laughable one-to-one against himself, or likely any other Teknoman that would be required to deal with it, but if the machine had been allowed to become anything more than simply a prototype, things might very well have become rather troublesome for all of them.

 

 _For the moment, however, I suppose I will have to leave that be. I have matters of my own to attend to,_ he mused, looking up to the moon even as his thoughts turned to his younger brothers back on earth. _Ness. Cain. You’re coming home with me; whether you like it or not._

 

1101010010

 

Crawling now, on his hands and knees in the aftermath of the damage that had been caused to his Tekno-suit - what remained of it after that beam-attack that Spear had blasted him with at the end of something that couldn’t have been called a fight - Balzac forcefully shoved every thought, regrets and recriminations and reflections, aside so that he could focus. Focus and survive. That was all that mattered now.

 

He had to find a shuttle-pod and get back to Earth; everything else was secondary to that goal. Even the knowledge that he would most likely be called on to report the kind of power that Spear had demonstrated. The power that had crippled his Tekno-suit and reduced his support-squad to scattered, free-floating atoms.

 

Crawling over a particularly large chunk of rubble, he failed to notice until the last minute that it was loose. As his right arm was pulled from underneath him by the unstable surface, Balzac forced himself to relax and let the force of his tumble propel him along the deck of the Space Ring.

 

It was a bumpy ride, to be sure, but it was also a bit faster than he’d been able to move on his own in his damaged Tekno-suit; that was really all that mattered right now.

 

1101010111

 

“General Gault, the monitor is picking up thousands of them!”

 

“What’s their heading?” he asked, wanting at least to know where the next attack was going to be; even though he knew that there was nothing he or anyone in this room could do about it anymore.

 

“Working on it, sir,” the technician said. “Apparent trajectory is,” he heard the sounds of keys being punched, and then a slight pause; this clearly was worse news than even _he_ had thought. “Our command center. They’re going to land here, sir; _right here_.”

 

So, that was it, then; even the Teknoman Saber wouldn’t have been able to save them from _that_ many Spider-crabs, even if someone _had_ been able to find him. This was the last stand of the Allied Earth Military’s Arizona Command Center.

 

101001011

 

Standing within the sanctuary of his own Command Center, temporary as it way very well have been, Hamilton Jamison watched as uncountable numbers of Spider-crabs descended on the Allied Earth Military’s center of operations in this state. There were more of them then could possibly be displayed, even on the large screen that he was standing before. Seeing that massive swarm... it was as if he was looking into the past, seeing the hopeless state of the war, before Slade and Saber had fallen to Earth. Before those two young men had joined in the planet’s defense, and given all of them a fighting chance.

 

He’d never thought to see this kind of disaster again; he’d never _wanted_ to see it again.

 

“Commander, isn’t there anything that we can-”

 

“No,” he said quickly, cutting Tina off before she could begin to worry too much; he worried for them, too, but a commander’s duty was to keep his people stable.

 

To help them stand up under stress, even when that stress was affecting him as well; Tina’s worry served no practical purpose at this time, best he didn’t let her focus too much on it.

 

“Oh, Commander. If Slade and Saber don’t come back...”

 

“I know,” he said, putting his hand on her right shoulder as she trailed off.

 

Without the twins with them, to provide the Earth’s defenders with both the morale they needed to feel that their efforts were not in vain, and the power they needed to ensure that they would actually succeed in those efforts, the people of Earth were in nearly the same situation that they had been in during the first six months of the invasion. Perhaps even worse, since under the circumstances it could easily be assumed that Slade and Saber had abandoned them.


	19. Resurrection

He hated to see them there, just sitting there on Slade’s bed like that; he knew it wasn’t really Saber’s fault, since it looked like Slade had just shut down completely and the only things that were likely to get through to him in this condition were exactly the kind of things that Saber _wouldn’t_ do to him under the circumstances. _He_ sure didn’t know what any of them were going to be  to do at this point. There was one thing he _was_ sure of, though: Darkon wasn’t going to just let this kind of an opportunity pass him by; he’d be sending down fresh hordes of his Spider-crabs just as fast as he could cook them up.

 

It would be like when Saber had been injured, or when Slade’s crystal had been shattered, only worse because back in those days they’d at least had _one_ of the twins to bolster their defenses. But now, with Slade completely out of commission, and Saber doing what he could to get his dope of a brother to stop moping and get back on his feet, they were sitting ducks for any of the Radam that got it into their heads to attack them. And the Radam _would_ attack them; they always took whatever opportunities they got to launch an attack.

 

He knew that just as well as either of the twins, as well as _anyone_ who had lived under constant threat of Spider-crab attacks did, so he wasn’t particularly happy about having to leave all of this up to Saber. Oh, he knew that kid was good at dealing with Slade and his moodiness, what with all of the things that Star had told him and all that he had already seen Saber do for his occasionally-moronic brother. But, this wasn’t the kind of thing that they could wait for; there _were_ going to be Spider-crabs descending on this base.

 

He might not know _when_ that was going to happen, but he wasn’t stupid enough to believe that it wouldn’t; he’d lived in the world for too long to be so stupidly optimistic.

 

And, even if he _hadn’t_ known all that he already knew, the fact that the base that they were all standing in was starting to shake and rumble – not to mention the sounds of far-off and not-so-far-off alarms that he was starting to hear – would have let even a completely stupid person know that there was _something_ going on.

 

“They’ve breached the defenses!” Star exclaimed. “They’re undermining the building’s structure!”

 

“Great, just what we need; alien termites,” he grumbled, as the lights in the room flickered and another alarm went off. Another shockwave shot through the floor, leaving him and Star stumbling in its wake.

 

“What about the laser-cannons?” Star asked, clearly worrying about all of the people that were still inside this base; not just the four Space Knights who’d gone a bit AWOL, but all of the AEM soldiers who were trying to hold off the Spider-crabs.

 

“Don’t make me laugh,” he said. “Those things will hold them off for a few _seconds_ , tops.”

 

“Then, we’ve got to find another way,” she said, as they both turned back to the twins.

 

Saber, who’d up to that point had his chin resting on top of Slade’s head as he cuddled his moron of a twin brother, was now staring at the ceiling with a look of worry on his face. Still, at least he was _responding_ to the changes in their situation; which was more than he could say for Slade at the moment.

 

“C’mon, Saber, we need you boys back in the game,” he said, drawing the attention of his fellow Space Knight. “This base is being pounded, and that means that everyone in it is in serious trouble.”

 

Saber gave him an annoyed look for that one, a sort of silent ‘do you think I’m _stupid_?’, but all he actually _did_ was sigh. “I’m open to suggestions,” the Teknoman said flatly.

 

“I don’t know, punch him or something,” he blurted, finally at the end of his patience as far as Slade’s antics were concerned.

 

“Yes, because that worked _so well_ the last time,” Saber said acidly.

 

“Well, you have to do _something_! This base is going to be coming down on our heads once those Spider-crabs get here in force-”

 

“You think I don’t _know_ that?!” Saber demanded, cutting him off before he could really work up to a tirade. “I know this base is being pounded into rubble just above our heads. I know that once all of those Spider-crabs get here, they’re going to be doing their level-best to kill everyone here. I _know_ this is the absolute worst time to just sit here and see if I can get Slade to see reason. What I _don’t_ know, _Ringo_ , is just what I’m supposed to _do_ about that.”

 

By the end of Saber’s little speech, the blue-eyed Teknoman was glaring at him, his teeth clenched and his expression as fierce as Ringo had ever seen it. As the room started shaking again, and just as Ringo was trying to work out what he could say to Saber to get the kid up and back in the game – since it was completely obvious that Slade wasn’t going to be getting off his butt anytime soon – he saw Slade brace his hands against Saber’s chest and shove the two of them apart. Saber was clearly just as surprised by that as he was.

 

“Go,” Slade said, staring down at the bed but clearly addressing Saber all the same. “Just go.”

 

Slade folded in on himself after that, curling up against the far wall of the cell the same way he’d once been curled up against Saber’s chest. That same spot of blue light appeared on Saber’s forehead again, letting Ringo know that he and Slade were using that telepathy of theirs again. Ringo wondered briefly what the Wonder Twins were talking about, and why Slade felt like he needed to use his telepathy when Saber was right here with them and all of them could hear each other.

 

But then, all of them _could_ hear each other; maybe whatever Slade had wanted to say to his brother was something he wanted to keep private. He didn’t know just what it was that Slade wanted to keep between the two of them, but he figured that he’d have to respect it. If nothing else, Saber would punch him in the head if he didn’t.

 

“You’re hopeless, you know that?” Saber asked; it was obviously a rhetorical question, but the look on Saber’s face didn’t match up with his harsh-sounding words. Neither did the gentle tone of his voice, or the way he reached out to stroke his brother’s hair.

 

Just as Ringo had been about to clear his throat, though, to draw Saber’s attention back to the crisis they were all kind of in the middle of right now, Saber climbed off the bed and stood up. There was still a kind of uneasy expression on the kid’s face, but Ringo didn’t blame him for it under the circumstances; _he_ was worried about Slade, too. Finally, just as he was about to see if he could do anything for the kid, since it was obvious that Saber was trying to work up the nerve to leave Slade behind, Saber stepped back.

 

“Take care of him, all right?” he asked Star, before Ringo could say anything else to him. Then he turned to Ringo, wearing a slight, not particularly happy looking smirk. “I’m all yours.”

 

“Glad to hear it,” he grabbed Saber’s left arm and the two of them made tracks. “Now, let’s see what we can do about those Spider-crabs.”

 

Taking Saber’s silence as an agreement, he let the kid go as the two of them sprinted out of that depressing cell and away from its even more depressing occupant. As they both made their way down the corridor and out of the section of the cell-block, Ringo cornered a bit too late to do anything but dash through the space between a pair of techs, one of whom was carrying a clipboard. Ringo hoped, in the corner of his mind that was still free to notice the things around him, that he hadn’t made the guy drop his clipboard when he blew past.

 

Him or Saber Ringo amended, when he remembered the currently-untransformed Teknoman running right along beside him.

 

Just as Ringo had spotted the end of the corridor they were in coming up fast, and was about to signal Saber that they were going to have to corner again soon, the ceiling right above them was blown in. The force of the explosion blew the both of them backwards, but Ringo could feel Saber bracing him so the two of them didn’t fall to the floor. He was glad for it, but the air was just a bit too thick with debris and the fumes from a broken pipe to let him express that kind of gratitude in any meaningful way.

 

As the debris from the explosion settled at last, leaving him free not only to breathe properly, but to talk without worrying about choking, Ringo breathed. But then, just as he’d opened his eyes, Ringo saw that there was another hole, this one torn in the wall. Through the hole he could see another room, one filled with lights and machinery, but that wasn’t really what caught his attention at first. All he noticed about the room in front of him at first was the Tekno-suit standing front-and-center before the hole in the wall.

 

That was all that mattered right now: this was a way to fight off the Spider-crabs that were attacking.

 

“Come on,” he said, gently tugging Saber’s arm as the two of them helped each other back to their feet. “I think we just hit pay dirt.” Looking over at the kid as the two of them made their way through the debris-field that had once been as normal a stretch of corridor as any he’d ever seen, Ringo decided to clarify something. He probably didn’t need to, since Saber had already demonstrated that he had a hell of a lot more sense than Slade, but it would make _him_ feel better; even if Saber would probably think he was a moron for saying it. “I’m not about to let you go out there on your own.”

 

“Thanks for thinking of me,” Saber said, though the kid still sounded a bit distracted.

 

Ringo smirked slightly. “You know, Saber, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear _you_ were the older brother.”

 

Saber laughed. “Yeah, well _someone_ has to keep Slade from getting himself killed in this mess. Might as well be me as anyone.”

 

And then they were inside the room with the Tekno-suit, and there was no more time for banter.

 

“Well, what a surprise,” he muttered. “I’d heard the AEM’s tech-jockeys were building a second Tekno-suit somewhere,” he exposited for Saber’s benefit. “I guess we just found the place.”

 

“Looks like,” Saber said, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t alert the two techs that they had both seen when they’d first made their way into this room. “And hey, it even matches your eyes.”

 

Turning back to Saber, he found that the kid was wearing that same, sly smirk on his face that he always did when he was yanking someone’s chain. “You’re a riot, Saber.”

 

“No, it’s unthinkable, sir.” The voice of one of the techs drifted over to them, once their brief conversation had concluded. “The suit’s weapons-systems haven’t even been tested yet, and there’s all sorts of potential-”

 

“Send it up, we’ll give it a trial-by-fire,” General Fatass himself said, cutting the tech off.

  
“General Gault, none of our test-pilots have been briefed yet,” the tech who’d been doing all the talking so far said; this was looking better and better.

 

“Then I suggest you find one, brief them, and get them flying in the next ten minutes!” General Fatass sounded particularly pissy, and under the circumstances Ringo could understand. “It doesn’t matter _who_ they are!”

 

 _Perfect,_ Ringo thought, feeling a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat tugging at his mouth.

 

“But, General Gault that’s impossible.”

 

“I’m your guy, boys!” he called, sprinting over to the Tekno-suit and climbing into the thing, all the while hearing Saber’s laughter behind him.

 

“What the- Get out of there!” the other tech, the one who hadn’t said a word up until now, shouted at him. “Who do you think you are?!”

 

“You’re lucky to have me, I’m over-qualified,” he retorted, seeing Saber starting to make his way across the floor to where the three of them were standing over the techs’ shoulders.

 

“Making yourself comfortable, Ringo?” the kid asked, that same, sly smile on his face.

 

“Saber? What are _you_ doing out here?” the blond tech, the one who’d been talking to General Fatass over the comm., asked as he turned to the kid making his way over to them.

 

“I’m leaving. Do either of you have a _problem_ with that?” the kid asked, in that light, airy, I-will-punch-you-across-the-room-if-you-disagree-with-me tone that he didn’t have much cause to use around the Space Knights; Ringo almost pitied the techs here, since they probably wouldn’t have the sense to back off when Saber used _that_ tone.

 

Balzac hadn’t, and look what happened to _him_.

 

“No,” the blond tech said, looking more surprised than intimidated. “I just didn’t expect to see you here; I thought you would have been gone already. The General said you were a flight-risk.”

 

Deciding that he’d better start getting ready for the fight if he was going to be of any use, Ringo started fiddling with the Tekno-suit all around him to see if he could get it to activate. As it turned out, leaning back against the carapace of the thing triggered the armor’s activation-sequence, and Ringo soon found himself surrounded by the armor of his own, personal Tekno-suit. It was a bit on the bulky side, but it didn’t restrict his movement nearly as much as he’d been expecting; nor did it have Saber’s outrageously huge shoulders, but Ringo honestly doubted that and human-made armor would have _that_ kind of thing.

 

Still, he’d be able to at least keep up with Saber now, so that was a good thing; the more Spider-crabs that they could take out while Star was trying to get Slade back on his feet, the better he would feel about things. Once he was as fully-armored as he was going to get, with all of the systems having been checked out to the best of his ability at the moment, he made his way back over to the two techs.

 

They seemed a bit intimidated to be facing their own Tekno-suit, which was really kind of funny considering the fact that they had made the thing in the first place, but they rallied soon enough. That is to say, _before_ Saber would have gone over and slapped the both of them for being idiots.

 

“Weapons?” he prompted.

 

“Z-tron pulse-rifle: right arm,” said the blond tech; he seemed to do most of the talking. “Brain-wave targeting.”

 

 _So, you just have to think about it, and this baby does the rest._ He grinned under the armor. _I wonder if this is what it feels like to be a_ real _Teknoman._ He might ask Saber about that later; once they’d managed to get back to the Command Center, but now wasn’t the time to think about those kinds of things. Now, it was time to go deal with those Spider-crabs.

 

“Nice,” he couldn’t resist commenting, as the rifle and its assorted paraphernalia folded out onto the Tekno-suit he was wearing. “Shield up; systems on. Piece of cake. Where’s the exit?”

 

The sound of a launch-tunnel opening made the question itself a bit moot, and the sound of Saber’s chuckling reminded Ringo that he wasn’t the only one who was going to be putting his ass on the line today.

 

“Well, I think that just answered your question, Ringo,” the kid said, wearing his usual smirk. The thing Ringo was most focused on at the moment, though, was the crystal in the kid’s hand; it matched his eyes, but that wasn’t important. What was important was what that crystal could _do_.

 

When Saber raised that magic crystal of his, calling upon whatever kind of powers it was that those kids of theirs used when they transformed into Teknomen, Ringo grinned widely. They might not have had Slade with them, but with him and Saber working together, they might just win this without him. Or at least do enough damage that those Spider-crabs that were piling in on them would be forced to break off their attack.

 

Either way, he’d be satisfied with the outcome.

 

“C’mon, guys,” he said to the two silent techs, both of them having been staring at him and Saber ever since the kid himself had transformed. “The _least_ you could do is wish us happy hunting.”

 

No one said anything, but that was just fine with him; he hadn’t really been expecting anyone in the AEM to have a sense of humor, and this really wasn’t the time to be joking around, anyway. As he and Saber made their way up and out of the launch-tunnel, catching sight of the huge swarm of Spider-crabs that were descending on it, Ringo couldn’t help but smile a little at the irony of the situation. Here they were, racing to the rescue of the very same group of people that he and Star had come to rescue the twins _from_.

 

It was kind of funny, when you thought about it that way.

 

0101001001

 

Watching as all of the Spider-crabs that she had seen coming down from the sky now making their landings, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for the people working for the AEM. Even if they _had_ been jerks to Slade and Saber, even if they _had_ sent Balzac to spy on them, no one _ever_ deserved to be facing Spider-crabs. Especially not so many of them.

 

“Things are looking bad at Allied Command,” she said, unable to resist the urge to speak up anymore. “How long do you think they can hold out?”

 

Before the Commander could answer, the door to Comm. One opened and someone else came in. Tina didn’t have much time to wonder who it was, before Maggie came up to lean against the empty chair next to her.

 

“Are Star and Ringo still in there?” the older woman asked.

 

“Afraid so,” she said, knowing that things would have been a whole lot different if those two had managed to get Slade and Saber out of whatever cell in the complex they were being held in. “They’re with Slade and Saber, _somewhere_ in the complex.”

 

“I wonder why those two haven’t transformed and come out yet,” Maggie said, putting a hand to her chin as she looked down slightly; Tina had seen it enough times to know that that was her usual thinking-pose. “I mean, I’m sure they have a good reason for it, but I wonder what it is.”

 

Just then, as if they’d been listening in on the conversation and just waiting for the most dramatic moment to make their entrance – which was something she wouldn’t have put past Saber, but Slade didn’t seem like the kind of person to do things like that – two armored figures burst out of the AEM’s Command Center and flew up into the air with a pair of big, probably rocket-assisted jumps.

 

“They’re here!” she exclaimed happily.

 

“Ah, I knew they’d come!” Maggie said, a wide smile on her face.

 

Tina smiled, too. That is, right up until she began to notice something odd about one of the figures. Oh, Saber was right there, but that didn’t really look like Slade beside him. The colors were wrong, for one thing... “Wait a minute, something’s different.”

 

Zooming in on the image, until the two figures flying low over the ground filled the large screen that they were all using to observe the battle, Tina began to pick out the differences. Sure, Saber was right there, but...

 

“Hold on; that’s not Slade. Saber’s there, but there’s someone else with him,” Maggie said.

 

“That’s not Balzac; there’s no way Saber would fight _with_ him, after what he did. I wonder who it is?” she said.

 

“It’s someone in Tekno-suit number two,” the Commander said, sounding as calm as he ever did.

 

“Number _two_?” she asked, at the same time as Maggie did.

 

Who could it be in there, and why was Saber so willing to fight with them the way he was doing?

 

1101010011

 

“Don’t look now, but I think we’ve picked up a tail,” he said, linking with Ringo’s comm. so that the other man would be able to hear him.

 

Catching his lancer as it spun back towards him, Saber collapsed the thing back into its standard form, then launched both ends into the mass of Spider-crabs bearing down on them. Ringo had already shot the two that had been creeping up on them, so that was one less thing that Saber had to worry about; that was good, since he had entirely too many things to worry about already.

 

“What do those guys want, our autographs?” Ringo demanded, sounding annoyed; Saber knew him enough to know that it was more for show than anything at this point.

 

Still, show or not, Saber appreciated the gesture. “Oh yes, our adoring fans just _can’t_ seem to get enough of us. We should give them what they want.”

 

“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Saber,” Ringo responded, in a tone that meant he was probably wearing a wide grin at the moment.

 

The two of them waded back into the fight, Ringo firing blasts from his Z-tron rifle – the thing he’d once called a death-ray-blaster when he’d first seen Balzac using it – and him carving through the descending ranks of Spider-crabs with his lancer. He spared a momentary thought for Slade, wondering if Star had managed to get his moronic, moping twin brother back on his feet, before the needs of the battle pushed those thoughts right out of his mind. Now wasn’t the time to think of anything but what was right in front of him.

 

Now wasn’t the time to do anything but fight.

 

0101001001

 

When Ringo and Saber had left, Star had wondered for a moment if that would be all that it took; Slade _had_ reacted to what Ringo had been saying, but he’d only reacted in the sense of talking to Saber, telling _him_ to handle things. Sure, Saber was just as strong as he was, but it wasn’t good for Slade if he just relied on Saber to do everything for him. Saber seemed to understand that, too; but he also seemed to be as confused as she was about what they could _do_ about that.

 

She didn’t like it, it wasn’t a good situation, but it seemed to be true all the same.

 

When her commlink went off, reminding her again that there were other people besides Ringo and Saber who were counting on her to get Slade back on his feet.

 

“Yes, Commander?” she asked, knowing that he was the one most likely to be contacting her under the circumstances.

 

“Are the two of you still with Slade?” Commander Jamison asked.

 

“I am. Ringo and Saber are gone.”

 

“I suspect I know where Saber is. However, I _would_ be interested in knowing where Ringo went.”

 

“I don’t really know, sir,” she said, wishing she had the answer to that very question; not just for the Commander’s sake, but for her own peace of mind as well. “When he left, he seemed kind of impatient.”

 

The Commander made a thoughtful sound. “Saber has just engaged the Radam, but he’s fighting beside a second Tekno-suit.”

 

“Fighting _beside_ them?” she echoed, surprised. “There’s no way that could be Balzac, then.”

 

“Negative, Star, it’s an unauthorized pilot,” the Commander said, and Star realized right then and there just who the pilot of that new Tekno-suit had to be.

 

“Ringo!”

 

“In the flesh, so to speak,” her fellow Space Knight said, over the open comm.

 

“Ringo,” she heard Maggie gasp over the open link, and she understood perfectly how the other woman felt; _she_ wasn’t particularly happy with Ringo, either.

 

“What are you doing in that Tekno-suit?” Tina demanded, a chiding tone to her voice.

 

“Hey; they left the keys in the ignition,” Ringo said, with his usual nonchalance. “Tell those egg-heads no sweat: I’ll bring this thing back without a scratch on it.”

 

“Saber, you’ll keep an eye on him, won’t you?” she implored, knowing that Saber would have been listening in on their conversation and that he’d have something to say about it.

 

“When I can spare the time,” Slade’s brother said, sounding gently amused. “Still, he’s doing pretty well, for an amateur. I might even let him fight beside me and my dip of a brother, if he keeps this kind of thing up.” Saber paused for a moment, and Star wondered why until she remembered that he and Ringo were in the thick of a fight with Darkon’s Spider-crabs. “Speaking of a certain dip we both know, how’s he doing?”

 

“Not well,” she said, looking back over at Slade; he’d shifted slightly on the bed where he and Saber had both been sitting, but that was all.

 

“Great. Tell him from me to stop being such a blockhead, will you?” Saber asked, and from the sheer exasperation in his tone Star got the feeling that he was rolling his eyes. “Ringo and I still have work to do; these skies aren’t going to clear themselves, you know.”

 

She knew that Saber would have been winking at her when he said that, if the two of them had been facing each other, and she smiled. “Right. Well, good luck out there; you and Ringo make sure to look out for each other.”

 

“Will do,” Saber said warmly. “Take care of yourself and my idiot brother.”

 

The comm. went silent after that, and Star sighed as she turned her attention back to Slade. She might have wanted to reassure Saber that his brother was going to be all right, but she still didn’t quite know what to do about Slade. He seemed to have completely closed himself off from the world; she didn’t know why, and she didn’t know if she was ever going to find out, either.

 

Making her way back over to the bed where Slade was curled up, she sat down and moved in close; she might not have known _why_ he had collapsed like this, but the least she could do was try to make him feel better. He’d seemed to react well enough to being held by Saber, at least up until the point where the Spider-crabs began descending on them in force and he had pushed his brother away so that Saber could help protect them all. So, it stood to reason that he would want to have someone with him now that Saber was out.

 

Scooting closer, Star gently rested her right hand on Slade’s head, the same way that Saber had done while the two of them had been sitting together. Slade shuddered, but only briefly and he didn’t shrug her hand off, so she scooted in closer. Star knew that she couldn’t afford to spend _too_ much time like this, since Saber still had his time-limit, and Ringo’s Tekno-suit wouldn’t be able to hold off all those Spider-crabs forever.

 

“I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, Slade,” she said, moving almost as close to Slade as Saber had been. “But, Ringo and Saber aren’t going to be able to hold off those Spider-crabs forever. They _need_ you, Slade. _Earth_ needs you.”

 

She felt it when Slade shuddered, and as she stroked his hair, she noticed how badly he was sweating. Star couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, but she also knew that she had to get him back on his feet; she knew that the Spider-crabs attacking them couldn’t be driven off by just Saber and Ringo along. They would need Slade’s help if they were going to be able to survive this.

 

0001001010

 

He was actually starting to get the hang of this, funny as it would have sounded to him earlier; but really, it was just like firing any normal gun, really. _Easy, cowboy,_ he reminded himself, remembering just what kind of limits normal guns had. _Ammo might be limited, here; I’d better make every shot a bull’s-eye._

 

With that in mind, Ringo took another, carefully-aimed shot... and _missed_! He was just about to take another shot, when a spinning, silver object bisected them both. As they exploded into innumerable chunks, he grinned.

 

“You know, Saber, you’re a really great guy to have around,” he said, setting himself up for another shot; he didn’t miss that time.

 

“Flatterer,” the Teknoman chuckled. “So, other than those two, how are you enjoying the war?”

 

“I don’t know; so far it’s been all right,” he said, moving and shooting the way he’d done since he’d gotten into the Tekno-suit; it was pretty much the only thing a Tekno-suit _could_ do. “Not a picnic,” he said, turning to watch Saber as he moved among the Spider-crabs, hacking and slashing with that oversized lance of his. “But, I just might not be leaving all the fighting to you and your brother anymore.”

 

Saber laughed, just a bit. “Well, that’s only if you manage to get those pinheads at the AEM to agree with you. Remember, that’s not _your_ Tekno-suit you’re using.”

 

“Oh, sure, remind me of _that_ ,” he groused good-naturedly, rolling his eyes even though he knew that Saber couldn’t see it. “You just _love_ to spoil my fun, don’t you, Saber?”

 

“Well, _someone_ has to be sensible here,” Saber said, with such exaggerated stuffiness that Ringo couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“You; sensible. Right,” he said, teasing the kid right back.

 

After that, though, the thick of the swarm descended on them again, and there was no more time to talk.

 

1101010111

 

Sitting with Slade on the bed that he and Saber had shared for the short time that they had been together on this, one of the darkest days in recent memory – even if the only ones who would remember it properly were her, Ringo, and Saber – she took a deep breath. Nothing was going to be solved if she just sat around waiting for something to happen, so in spite of the fact that she didn’t really have any better ideas than Saber had had when _he_ was trying to talk Slade around, Star gathered her composure and spoke.

 

“Come on, now, Slade,” she said, gently curling her fingers into his hair; he seemed to respond better if he was in physical contact with someone.

 

With a soft, muffled sound of protest, Slade pulled away from her hand with a speed that almost suggested he’d been burned by the contact. “No,” he gasped, curling up on himself again, knees shielding his face and head. “No; I can’t do it.”

 

“ _Why_ , Slade? Tell me why, at least.”

 

“I’m scared,” he said, pulling in his knees like he was trying to shield himself from the world.

 

Now, that was something she could completely understand; especially under the circumstances. Still, even _that_ wasn’t a reason for Slade to have completely frozen up like this. “We’re all scared before a fight,” she said, being a bit more stern than she would have been under any other circumstances. “That’s no reason to just give up. Saber was worried for you all the time when we were trying to find our way here, and I bet he’s still worrying about you. Ringo, too-”

 

“No,” Slade said quickly, cutting her off before she could do anything more to reassure him; she could see his haunted green eyes, visible now over his knees, if only just. “I mean, I’m scared of what I might become. It’s different for Saber,” he continued, pulling his knees in just that much closer. “ _He_ doesn’t have to worry about those kinds of things happening to him.” Slade paused, a flash of something indefinable passing over his face. “He’s... better than I am.”

 

“What do you mean, Slade? Saber ends up _helpless_ after only twenty-five minutes in combat; that’s why he and Ringo need you, Slade! More than ever; you’re a part of this, too.”

 

“No; you don’t understand,” Slade said softly, and she could see a shudder run through his body. “I can’t protect him anymore; I can’t protect anyone. I’m weak; useless.”

 

Her mouth was open, and though she _wanted_ to say something to Slade, she couldn’t make the words come. She hadn’t known just how deeply he’d been affected by everything that had been happening; she hadn’t known just how he would take it. “Is this because the two of you were separated while you were here?”

 

The look Slade gave her, raising his head only slightly from his knees, was all the answer she needed.

 

“I don’t think that’s true at all,” she said, settling back down on the bed next to him and gently resting her right hand on his back. “You’ve done so much for this world; not many people would have been able to do the things that you’ve done.” She decided against mentioning Saber, since Slade had already been comparing himself to his brother; he already knew what Saber was capable of, she just had to remind Slade what _he_ was capable of. “Most people would have already broken down under the strain of what you’ve been going through, Slade. You’ve borne up under it better than most people I know. Certainly better than _I_ would have, I think.”

 

Before she could say anything else, though, her commlink went off again; knowing that it was one of her fellow Space Knights, and that none of them would have contacted her unless something new had come up, Star stood up and turned her attention to it. Most of it, anyway; since she couldn’t forget about Slade; she _wouldn’t_ forget him.

 

“Star here, come in,” she acknowledged.

 

“Any progress?” the Commander asked, and although he sounded as calm as he ever had, she got the feeling that he was concerned about Slade, too.

 

“Not much, I’m afraid,” she said, looking back at Slade, curled up on the cell’s bed like a child who had been having a nightmare; she sympathized, but at the same time she knew that this wasn’t the time for any of them to let their fears run away with them. Especially not one of the twins. “I think the Teknobot should be sent up here, right away.”

 

If nothing else, that got Slade’s attention; he raised his head from his knees, haunted green eyes pinning her with their gaze. “Star, what are you _doing_? You know I can’t go out there,” he said, so clearly terrified by what she was suggesting that Star was almost tempted to take it back. _Almost_. “You _know_ what’s going to happen.”

 

She knew; and more than that, she knew that Slade himself needed to know that, too. He needed to know that he didn’t have anything to fear; he needed to know that he could handle what would come.

 

1010100101

 

The horde of Spider-crabs bearing down on them had thinned quite a bit, though most of that had to do with Saber and that killer lance of his. Still, considering the fact that this Tekno-suit he’d borrowed might not have a full combat load-out, he wasn’t going to risk running out while Saber was still in the game. He knew perfectly well that the kid had a time-limit he had to watch, so he was saving his shots for when Saber was forced to pull out.

 

He wasn’t going to count on Slade’s getting out to them before Saber’s time was up; they were going to have to look out for each other, that much was obvious.

 

“Ringo, I think I might be able to clear out these Spider-crabs, most of them, at least,” Saber said, and he could hear the kid’s ragged breathing; that and the sheer exhaustion in his tone let Ringo know that he wasn’t going to be able to count on the Teknoman’s help for much longer.

 

“The catch is that it’s going to wipe you out completely, right?” Ringo asked, though he was pretty sure of the answer.

 

“That’s the catch,” Saber said wearily, and Ringo turned to watch as the kid dodged out of the way of another incoming Spider-crab and then threw that lance of his again.

 

Ringo knew that he would have to make the choice soon, he knew that Saber wasn’t going to be able to hold up under this kind of strain for much longer; hell, he’d been conserving his maybe-limited ammo for just this occasion.

 

“All right, do it,” he said, moving in closer behind the Teknoman so he could catch him when he lost his hold on that transformation of his. “I’ll be right behind you.”

 

“Thanks,” Saber said, and Ringo could practically _hear_ the weary smile on his face.

 

Saber planted his feet, and Ringo primed his Z-tron rifle, fully ready to defend the kid from any Spider-crabs that might take this as an opportunity to attack him. The power that he could detect Saber putting out while he was transformed began to go up, and Ringo smirked. _Almost time for the big one,_ he mused, pleased at the sight.

 

It might not be the big finish, since he was pretty sure that this last shot that Saber had in him wasn’t going to be quite enough to deal with _all_ of these Spider-crabs, but they’d at least have a bit more breathing-room. Once Saber fired, his six beams spreading out, whipping and curving through the air as ribbons of energy; almost like they were alive or something, Ringo let himself breathe a bit. It had always been kind of weird for him, watching as either Saber, Slade, or both of the twins at once fired off those beams of theirs.

 

But now, standing just a few inches away from the kid, Ringo realized that he hadn’t really seen anything from back there.

 

The beams of bright, glowing blue energy slammed into the ranks of Spider-crabs descending on the two of them, and Ringo grinned as they disintegrated. He liked to think that, maybe, just maybe some of them were feeling the kind of helplessness that everyone on Earth had felt during those long, terrible months before the twins had literally fallen to Earth.

 

When Saber’s energy ran out, Ringo caught the kid before he fell to the ground. He couldn’t do much for the fact that the kid’s armor was gone now, but he _could_ at least try to protect the kid while he recovered. It was the least he could do, after the kid had protected _him_ so well.

 

Wrapping his left arm more securely around Saber’s waist, Ringo pulled the kid in close to his side so he’d be more stable while Ringo was moving out, then he shot down a lone Spider-crab that had either been missed by Saber’s attack or had broken away from one of the groups farther out. The ones that had been outside the range of Saber’s Tekno-bolt were starting to close in now, and Ringo took a few seconds to check on the kid himself and make sure he was as secure as he could be before he started moving out again. Once he was satisfied that Saber was as safe as anyone could be under the circumstances, Ringo shot down the pair of descending Spider-crabs that he had spotted and made for a clearer patch of ground.

 

He wanted as much room to maneuver as he could manage, and he also wanted to keep those things from doing more damage to the AEM’s Command Center while Slade and Star were still in there; he knew that he probably wasn’t going to manage to do both, but one out of two wasn’t bad under the circumstances.

 

0001001011

 

He didn’t know what Star had been thinking, telling the Commander to send Pegas; really, he _still_ didn’t. She had to know how weak he was, how useless; she’d been there when he had tried and failed to save Saber from Balzac. More than that, though, she’d seen the way he had nearly _killed_ his younger twin during that horrible night in the rain; trying to strangle Saber even though his younger twin hadn’t posed any sort of threat to him at that moment.

 

Saber hadn’t even been in his armor then, and the sight of his younger twin’s blue eyes slowly falling closed was one that Slade knew would haunt him for a long time to come.

 

So, even though he couldn’t help but know just what it was that Star wanted from him, Slade knew that he wasn’t going to be able to do it. He couldn’t protect anyone, anymore; it was better for them all if they just counted on Saber. He had to make Star see that, somehow.

 

“Is that what you really think of yourself, Slade?” Star asked, more gently than he would have thought she would. “That you’re somehow less than Saber, just because you’ve had a few off-days?”

 

“It’s more than that, Star,” he said, looking at her in the eyes again, since that seemed to be the only way that he could make her understand. “Every time I transform, we all run the risk of my true nature taking over.”

 

He _had_ to make her understand; everyone was in danger if he didn’t.

 

“ _What_?” She seemed more shocked than he ever would have believed; she had seen what he was capable of, just the same as Ringo. Ringo had never really trusted him; he just hoped that the other man would be able to keep Saber and Star safe when he couldn’t. “That’s not true at all! _That’s_ not your true nature! You can’t think like that, Slade; you’re just as human as me, or Ringo. You and your brother have done so much for this planet; there’s not a single person here who doesn’t owe you their lives, even if they won’t admit it.”

 

She didn’t understand; why didn’t anyone _understand_?

 

1101001101

 

Dodging more of the Spider-crabs that were coming down on him, Ringo checked his gauges and sighed. He’d been right: he _did_ have limited ammo. And, while normally he loved being right about stuff, in this case he would have been perfectly happy to be wrong. He had had eleven shots left, but that had been before he’d had to shoot down a pair of Spider-crabs that had tried to bushwhack him.

 

Sure, he’d taken them both out with one shot, but that still left him with a grand total of ten; ten Spider-crabs out of that swarm, twenty if he was both very lucky and very good, but even twenty Spider-crabs wasn’t going to make a dent in that swarm that was descending on them.

 

And, to make things just that much more interesting, he still had to watch how he moved, so he wouldn’t jostle Saber and risk injuring the kid somehow. It was annoying as all hell, even moreso since he knew it didn’t have to be this way. He knew that, if only Slade would get his armored butt back in the air, the two of them would have a much better chance to drive off all of  the Spider-crabs bearing down on them.

 

Times like this, he wished it was possible to slap someone over a commlink.

 

Shooting down two more Spider-crabs, Ringo sighed again as his gauges changed to reflect the two shots he’d spent downing them. Only eight left, now; he really hoped Star was making some progress with Slade. They could all use the kid’s help, right about now.

 

10101001010

 

Hearing Slade talking about himself like that, as if he was some kind of animal that needed to be put down, it hurt. Even the shaking and rumbling of the walls around them couldn’t quite distract her from the shock of hearing just how little Slade thought of himself at the moment. Even the loss of power to the lights, casting the room they both remained in into what felt like  almost pitch blackness, wasn’t enough to let her forget what Slade had said; what he felt to be true about himself.

 

She had sat down beside him on the bed before the lights had gone out, and now she reached out almost blindly to touch his shoulder. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the almost complete lack of light in the room, but as Slade raised his head again, she caught sight of something strange. Slade’s eyes, those bright, deep green pools that she probably would have found it easy to get lost in if only he would _look_ at her more, glowed softly in the darkness.

 

She couldn’t even dismiss this as a trick of the light, the way she might have otherwise, because there wasn’t _enough_ light to make anything like that possible. Still, Star knew that, if she reacted to the soft glow, Slade was likely to take it the wrong way. Especially considering the way he was feeling right now.

 

“You think you know yourself, but you couldn’t be more wrong,” she said, speaking a bit more pointedly than she would have to someone in Slade’s condition under any other circumstances. Slade needed to _understand_ this. “You think you’re one of the Radam, just because you become that way after thirty-minutes as a Teknoman? A human who’s been exposed to radiation will end up looking like a freak, but so what? That doesn’t mean that’s their true nature.”

 

Slade seemed to be responding to what she said, or maybe it was just the tone of her voice, but in either case he raised his head a bit more from his knees, staring at her with eyes that she thought might not be so frightened as they once were. So, she decided to continue on that track.

 

“You’re a human being, despite anything Darkon may have done,” she said firmly, reaching out to cup Slade’s right cheek. He’d raised his head just that much more, so she knew she had to be doing _something_ right. “Yes, Slade; like me.”

 

Slade leaned his head into her hand slightly, as if there were parts of him that wanted to believe what she was saying, but on the whole he was still too scared of might-have-beens. That was all right, though; she could have enough faith for the both of them. Moving closer, both so that Slade could take a bit more comfort from her presence than he had perhaps been doing, she moved the hand she had placed on his cheek up into his hair, stroking it the way she remembered Saber doing before.

 

“You’re just as human as I am; just as human as Ringo, or any of us. Flesh and blood; no more, no less. We’re the same. And we all care about you; _I_ care about you. You’re no monster. And, just because you’ve had a harder time than usual lately, that doesn’t make you weak.”

 

She could feel tears spilling out of the corners of her eyes, but she ignored them in favor of speaking to Slade. She knew what they were from: she was pouring her heart out to a man when she didn’t know if he returned her feelings, it was only natural, really.

 

As she continued stroking Slade’s hair, damp with the same fear-sweat that she had felt dripping down his cheeks, Star saw him slowly beginning to unfold from the fetal position that he had folded himself up into. She was glad to see it; Slade was a lot stronger than he gave himself credit for, she knew, and now all that remained was to make _him_ understand that.

 

The sudden sound of concrete cracking, of stressed metal giving way at last, distracted Star from the progress she had been making with Slade. She didn’t have time to do much more than look up at the piece of ceiling that at come loose and begun falling towards the two of them, before she found herself yanked up and off the bed that she had been sitting on, and carried across the room fast enough that everything became a momentary blur. By the time Star found herself settled back down on the ground, she was breathing harshly.

 

That had been too close for comfort, but it might have been just the thing she needed.

 

The collapse of the ceiling over their heads evidently hadn’t been the only part of the building to fall, because there were now shafts of bright sunlight illuminating the room where the two of them had been trapped. Or, really where Slade had chosen to imprison himself because he thought there was something wrong with him. She could see his face now, though with the light shining from behind his head, most of his features were still cast in shadow.

 

She didn’t care. “Slade,” she said, smiling up at the man who had just saved her life; the man she had fallen in love with, even if she didn’t know how he felt. “You risked your life for me, without a second thought. That’s not something a monster would have done,” she said, reaching up to cup his right cheek with all of the gentleness that she could see he needed right now.

 

“Star, I...”

 

“You _can_ protect the people you love, Slade,” she said, looking up into his shadowed face even as her eyes began to adjust to the stark contrast between the sunlight behind his head and the shadows on his face. “You’re not weak; don’t ever let yourself think that. That’s what _they_ want; if you start thinking that way, then the Radam will win with barely a fight. You can’t let them!” Taking a breath to steady herself, not wanting to become too hysterical; she wasn’t the kind of person who did that. “Forget about where your powers came from; it doesn’t matter. All that matters is how you use them!”

 

“You really think that I-”

 

She cut him off before Slade could start running himself down again; the last thing any of them needed was for him to start _that_ again. “ _Actions_ are what prove a man’s worth!” she said firmly, tears beginning to leak from her eyes; she wasn’t sure if it was from the dust in the air or the emotions she was feeling anymore, but it had a definite affect on Slade.

 

“You’re right, Star,” he said, and she could see his expression regaining the resolve that it once had; the determination that made him who he was. He held her close, and she smiled, wrapping the arm that she hadn’t been using to support herself around him in turn. “You’re right.” Then, she heard the oddest thing: Slade chuckled softly, and as she felt the vibrations from his chest in her own, she wondered just what he was thinking. His laughter had sounded more rueful than anything, almost like he’d been laughing at himself. “You know, Saber always called me his Blessed Protector; I’d always thought he was just trying to be funny, but-”

 

“I think it’s perfect,” she said, smiling wider as she held Slade a bit closer. “Saber might know you better than you know yourself, Slade. And, I’m glad you felt you could share that with me.”

 

Slade began to pull away then, and reluctantly Star let him go; she knew that he needed to leave, knew better than most that he had work to do, but this was the closest that she had ever been to him. She thought that most people would have been able to understand her reluctance, but even as reluctant as she felt, Star knew there were more important things than her feelings. Now wasn’t the time for selfishness.

 

0001010100

 

As he ran from the room, what remained of it after the ceiling had nearly fallen in on them, Slade couldn’t help feeling like kind of an idiot. Saber would probably glare at him for it, or smack him upside the head the way he did when he felt his older twin was being particularly idiotic; and he’d fully deserve whatever Saber decided to do to him for that. He’d _forgotten_ ; he’d forgotten that there were other people who needed his help, forgotten that even as strong as he was, Saber couldn’t fight alone.

 

It might have been just been for a short time, but he’d still have to apologize for doing it; both to Saber _and_ to Ringo.

 

He knew that Pegas was nearby, and the sense that he had always had of his teknocrystal helped to guide him through the crumbling halls and corridors of the AEM’s Command Center; moving as quickly as he could, Slade soon found what he was looking for.

 

“Pegas, power on!” he shouted, feeling the familiar thrill of power through him as his crystal responded.

 

“Welcome back,” the mech said, and Slade couldn’t help but smile slightly.

 

“Thanks.”

 

As the familiar energies of his transformation rushed through him again, Slade felt the subtle motion that meant that Pegas had launched; he was that much closer to being able to help Saber and Ringo, and he was glad for it.

 

Once his transformation into his Teknoman form was complete, Slade burst up out of the top of Pegas’ interlock-chamber and backflipped onto the back of his and Saber’s combat-partner. He obviously had a lot of work to do if he was going to clear out the rest of the Spider-crabs, so Slade figured it was best if he got to it. Spinning his teknolance in front of himself to deflect and brake up the sprays of venom that a small group of descending Spider-crabs fired at him, Slade continued on his way.

 

He owed it to his friends, to his younger twin brother, to keep moving; so that was what he was going to do.

 

There were too many for him to handle using conventional methods, however, and he could see perfectly well that a swarm this size wasn’t going to be handled by something so linear as his Tekno-bolt. At least, not yet; they were too numerous and too spread-out at this point to be caught up in something like that. Still, someone like him always had other options.

 

“Pegas, battle-mode!”

 

“Affirmative!”

 

“Teknoman, battle-mode!” he shouted, feeling the rush of energy through him as he did so; he didn’t know, exactly, if all the shouting he was doing was completely necessary, but at the same time it felt like something his old sensei had taught him.

 

Almost like he was back where he started, sparring with Saber; it helped to remind him of better times.

 

As his armor folded down into that slimmer, streamlined, more dynamic form that it always did when he was using this secondary power of his, Slade rejoined Pegas in the air and the two of them ripped through the Spider-crabs in their way. When he began to feel his energy running low, Slade let go and transformed back into his normal form; there were still Spider-crabs hanging in the air, but they were beginning to mass for a charge.

 

He was going to have to show them just why that kind of thing was a bad idea... Grinning behind his armored mask, feeling a thrill of energy through him as he began to charge up his energy-condensers, he targeted the mass of Spider-crabs. He was fleetingly pleased by the fact that he couldn’t sense Spear anywhere in the vicinity, but then he was firing his Tekno-bolt and there was no more time for any other thoughts.

 

As even more energy rushed out of him, and the mass of Spider-crabs that had been threatening to overrun this base burned in its wake, Slade let himself breathe more easily. This wasn’t the end of things, he knew; not anything more than a temporary respite from the attacks that Darkon was going to launch against the Earth. But it was a respite all the same, and Slade was determined to enjoy it; there were few enough things that he could truly enjoy in his life.

 

“Well, better late than never,” he heard Ringo say over his connection to the comm. nearest to him that he always seemed to establish. “Atta’ boy, Slade.”

 

He chuckled briefly, then turned his attention to Ringo; he’d finished scanning for any other Spider-crabs that might have been in the area and found nothing, so he was more than happy to shift his attention to more important things. Things like seeing how his younger twin had been doing during this battle. The sight of Saber unconscious in Ringo’s arms, or rather his arm, didn’t disturb Slade so much as it might have once; he knew that he could trust the other man with something that was as important to him as his younger twin’s welfare.

 

Just like he knew that he could trust Saber to take care of himself. Still, that didn’t mean he was going to stop looking out for him; that was their promise, that was who he was: Saber’s Blessed Protector. _I am Teknoman Slade. This is who I am._


	20. Mind Game

When Slade landed, stepping down from Pegas’ back with Saber cradled in his arms, it was all Star could do to keep herself from rushing over to embrace him. His armored form wasn’t really made for things like that, and she wouldn’t have asked him to leave Saber behind for anything. She wasn’t that kind of person.

 

Ringo had been keeping pace with the two of them almost perfectly, still wearing the Tekno-suit that he had “borrowed” from the AEM; the one that the Commander was probably going to have to personally insist that he return to them. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, knowing the kind of smug grin that Ringo was most likely wearing underneath the armored helmet of his borrowed Tekno-suit, Star continued to make her way closer to the three of them.

 

Not that Ringo didn’t have a right to feel proud of himself, after helping to drive off an offensive by Darkon’s Spider-crabs _and_ helping to protect Saber at the same time, but she knew he was going to be insufferable for the first few hours after they all returned to the Command Center; she’d known him long enough to know that much, at least.

 

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to get back to the Command Center,” Ringo said.

 

Star smiled briefly. “Yes, I am, too. Slade?” she called, trying to be clear enough for her voice to carry over to him, but not loud enough that she would disturb Saber; after what he’d been through, he deserved all the peace and quiet he could handle. “Come on; we’re going to head back to the Blue Earth. I can’t imagine that you and Saber would want to stay here any more than Ringo does.”

 

“Yeah,” Slade said, with a soft laugh. “We’ll be right behind you, Star.”

 

She heard the heavy, metallic sounds of Slade’s footsteps as he made his way back over to Pegas, and she smiled. It was good to have him back again, especially after all that she and the others had gone through to _get_ him back; she would have done it all over again if she had to, true, but it was nice to have it done with all the same.

 

As the four of them, well three of them and one unconscious passenger who needed his rest, made their way back to the Blue Earth, Star couldn’t help but feel sorry for the people who had been caught up in this attack. Not the upper-echelons of the AEM Command, of course, since most of them had brought this on themselves by doing everything they had done to Slade and Saber; but the people who served under them, the ordinary soldiers who had likely had nothing to do with the way the twins had been treated. _They_ hadn’t deserved to suffer for the arrogance of their leaders.

 

Still, what had happened here had already happened; it was in the past and there was nothing that anyone could do about it, so it was just best that she didn’t dwell on it. That had become her policy for this war: don’t focus on what had already happened, don’t look back, just take care of what needed to be dealt with. It was the best way not to collapse from the strain of the war; she knew that better than most.

 

10100100100

 

Making his way through the darkened, shrapnel-strewn corridors of the Space Ring, Balzac gave brief thanks that he had managed to evade that bloodthirsty Teknoman that had been dogging his tail for so long; he’d had to play dead, his eyes open to see any moves that his psychopath of an opponent might try to use on him, but thankfully all that Spear had done was prod him with that giant weapon of his. He was well-disciplined enough not to react to something like _that_ , and he’d thanked every deity he could remember that the Teknoman had left before deciding to impale him, or whip him with lightning, or anything else that would have either killed him or gotten him to reveal himself.

 

Which would have inevitably ended up with him getting killed anyway, so that was one more reason to be thankful for that.

 

Now, having found a useable piece of debris and appropriated it as a crutch, Balzac limped through the corridors of the space station. He could only be grateful that he hadn’t been _really_ hurt by any of the attacks that Spear had launched at him; the evil Teknoman had mostly been focused on picking off the men who had come with him, so that was one reason to be grateful that he hadn’t been alone up here. He really hated to think about what might have happened if he’d managed to talk the General into letting him go alone.

 

He’d have more than likely ended up either impaled or blown to pieces if that had been the case.

 

Finally making his way into a shuttle bay that _hadn’t_ been ravaged by Spider-crabs, Balzac limped his way over to one of the few working escape-pods. Climbing inside, he took a moment to scan for any Spider-crabs that might be in his way, but luckily for him the area of space he was facing was completely clear. He didn’t know just how long that was going to hold true for, though, so he launched the escape-pod as quickly as he could.

 

He was finally on his way back to the only real home he had; he’d survived, that was what really mattered, in the end.

 

00101001001

 

Rejoining his mount in space, having heard Lord Darkon’s orders for him to return to the ship and not having seen any evidence that his presence in the current battle would have been anything more than a mere formality, Spear nudged his mount onto the proper course and was soon making his way through the void back to Lord Darkon’s base on the Moon. Looking over his shoulder only once, Spear beheld the blue-green and white sphere of the Earth receding behind him.

 

There was something about the planet, something that had captivated both of his younger brothers’ attention; he couldn’t understand why, but he knew that he would have to be more stern with them if he was going to bring them back to where they were supposed to be.

 

As the Moon grew larger in his field of view, Lord Darkon’s presence in his mind growing stronger as he drew closer to the surface of the satellite, Spear wondered what his younger brothers could have been thinking; why would they have chosen to stay on Earth, when it was clear that they no longer belonged in such a place? True, it seemed as if Cain had become rather enamored of that woman, but it would have been simple for him to ask that she be taken into Lord Darkon’s service as well; the woman might have resisted the idea at first, true, but the human had not been born who could resist a Teknoman.

 

Returning to Lord Darkon’s vessel, he dismounted and made his way back to the teknopod that had been reserved for his use. He’d tired somewhat on his way back, and now wanted nothing more than to rest within it. Dismissing his armor, Spear made his way over to his teknopod and climbed inside. The warm, soft membrane of the pod enabled him to relax, and as the teknopod began to fill with fluid again, Spear felt his body almost instinctively curl up into the position that he had always taken while he rested.

 

Curled as tightly as he had ever been within his teknopod, Spear drifted back to sleep.

 

10101001011

 

Waking up back in his own room, with the last thing he remembered being his loss of consciousness in Ringo’s arms after firing a Tekno-bolt at all those Spider-crabs, Saber smiled softly. It looked like his lunkhead of an older twin had come through for them, after all.

 

 _(Saber? Oh, good, you_ are _up now.)_

_(Good morning to you, too, big brother,)_ he said, both amused by the greeting and touched by his older twin’s concern for him.

 

 _(Yeah,)_ Slade said, with a brief mental chuckle. _(Good morning, Saber. You want to come out for a run with me, after we finish breakfast?)_

_(Sure,)_ he responded, hauling himself up and out of bed with a yawn as he made his way to his attached bathroom. _(Come meet me at my room, if I haven’t managed to make it out to meet you before you finish getting ready.)_

_(Which you probably won’t, since you’ve always taken longer in the bathroom than me,)_ Slade retorted, and Saber could hear the amusement in his brother’s mental tone.

 

 _(Well, you’ll have to excuse me if I want to be clean when I come out of my room,)_ he responded, smirking slightly. _(Unlike_ certain people _I could mention.)_

_(Hey, I’m plenty clean when I get out of my room,)_ Slade retorted, and Saber just knew that his brother would have stuck out his tongue if the two of them had been in the same room. _(I’m just not obsessive about it, unlike_ certain _people I could mention.)_

 

Laughing softly as he tossed the last of his uniform into the hamper, Saber climbed into his personal shower and turned it on. If he was going to go for a run with his brother, he was at least going to be refreshed beforehand.

 

1101010010010

 

When consciousness returned to him, along with the energy that he had been forced to expend while he had been dealing with those human soldiers who had been foolish enough to challenge him, Spear considered what he was going to do with his current, and likely limited, free time. Lord Darkon was likely to give him new orders soon, but before that time came, Spear decided that he would check on Shara.

 

Her mental silence had begun to worry him, during the time that she had been within the pupation-chamber and he had still been completely unable to contact her; he had been able to speak with Sam, during the time that the youngest of his siblings was undergoing the transformation-process, but he had never been able to contact Shara. Perhaps she had been more exhausted by the transformation than he had thought; he’d never heard from Katherine while they had been inside Lord Darkon’s vessel, but then he had never thought to call to her.

 

He _had_ reached out for his baby sister; reached out, and gotten no response.

 

He was determined to find out what might be wrong with Shara, even if there wasn’t anything that he could do about it; Lord Darkon would most likely have the knowledge he would need to help Shara, if something was truly wrong with her. Pulling himself free from the teknopod that had healed and nurtured him for the duration of his stay aboard Lord Darkon’s vessel, Spear made his way across the main area of Lord Darkon’s vessel, bordered as it was by the structures that housed the teknopods and other structures that Spear didn’t have the knowledge to put names to as yet.

 

He wondered for a moment if he ever would, but then put that aside; all of that was for later, Spear’s concerns were for the present.

 

Standing before the pupation chambers that his remaining family and friends had been moved to during some time when he had been either unaware of his surroundings or simply absent from them, Spear paused for a moment to examine the chamber that held Shara. It was glowing the same, healthy green that it had been the last time he’d laid eyes on it, but the minds within it were all dormant now. He could sense them on _some_ level, yes, but the fact that he had never been able to make contact with Shara still worried him on some level.

 

“It’s good to see you’re still doing so well, Shara,” he said, more to break the almost oppressive silence than anything; he knew that she wouldn’t be able to hear him until she had awakened fully. None of the others would. Still... “You know, you’re going to feel so much better when you wake up, little sister,” he said, reaching out to gently caress the membrane of the pupation-chamber that Shara rested inside.

 

Spear knew the strength in his armored fingers, knew that he could rip open the thin membrane that was all that protected his dear little sister from the harshness of the environment around her, and so he restrained himself even more than usual. The world felt so much more fragile when he was wearing his armor, so he was always careful to treat it as such.

 

At least, those parts of it that mattered to him.

 

“I do hope you’re doing all right, little sister. I’ve been worried.” He didn’t want to say about what, since there was a chance – a small one, but a chance all the same – that his fears would be realized if he spoke them aloud.

 

He knew it was likely just superstition, but there was also the chance that Shara was aware of him, at least on some level. He didn’t want to give her anything to worry about when he could avoid it.

 

Still, he _was_ fully aware of what would happen to Shara if she was truly incompatible with the Teknoprocess: she would be rejected; turned out before she had been truly completed. She would still have more power than any mere human could ever hope to have, but she would be burning up her own lifespan with every transformation, and eventually she would die for it. Even placing her inside one of the teknopods would not be able to save her for long if that turned out to be the case.

 

That was yet another reason that he wished to return his younger brothers to Lord Darkon’s fold: they were incomplete as well, and while they might not have been outright rejected – and Spear honestly doubted that such would be the case; discounting their late and unlamented father, his family had always been a strong one – he still wanted them here with the rest of their family.

 

And, perhaps that woman could be convinced to come along peacefully as well.

 

000101000101

 

They’d made it outside the perimeter of the Command Center, or at least off the steel, asphalt, and tarmac that bordered the buildings, and onto the natural rock formations that Slade could remember seeing back... before. Saber was running along beside him, and Slade didn’t bother holding back a chuckle when he saw what his younger twin had chosen to wear. Sure, he’d seen it before, back when they’d both been getting ready to run, but it hadn’t really registered to him then.

 

He’d been more interested in running than studying what Saber had chosen for himself to wear at that point.

 

But now, looking over his younger twin as Saber ran beside him, Slade reflected on how funny it was that they had both made pretty much the same choices when it came to what they were wearing: he’d chosen a jogging outfit that matched his eyes, and now he saw that Saber had, too. Part of the suit was lighter than the rest; the lighter-patches both formed a roughly triangular shape on both of them, but they were placed differently. On his suit, the pale-green patch began at his right shoulder and continued all the way to his waist, only stopping when it reached his right thigh just a few inches above his knee.

 

The pale-blue patch on Saber’s suit, on the other hand, started at his _left_ shoulder, and continued down until it stopped just above his right elbow.

 

When the two of them made it to the edge of the low cliff that they had chosen as their stopping-point, a place close enough to the Command Center that they would be able to get back quickly, but far enough to allow the both of them to get a good amount of exercise in the time they would likely have between now and the next Radam attack. There was always a next Radam attack, and there would always _be_ a “next” attack until they found a way to get to wherever it was that Darkon had managed to hide himself.

 

Until Darkon and the last of his Teknomen died, this personal war of theirs couldn’t come to an end.

 

Still, as he stared out at the harsh landscape that surrounded the Command Center, Slade found his thoughts turning to things that weren’t nearly so harsh. He remembered what Star had said to him, back during the last battle with the Spider-crabs; he’d needed that, back then he’d been suffering the after-effects from what Balzac and the AEM had done to him.

 

It hadn’t been his greatest moment, he had to admit; still, he’d been under a lot of stress from what had been happening, both to him and to Saber, before that.

 

It wasn’t an excuse, and he wasn’t about to try to use it as one, but all the same there _was_ a reason that he hadn’t been up to fighting in the last battle. Things would be different next time, though; Slade was determined that they would be.

 

“Thinking deep thoughts, brother?” he heard Saber’s voice, bringing him back to the present as the wind tousled both their hair.

 

Slade allowed a small halfsmile to show on his face. “Not anything especially _deep_ , really. Just glad to be back here, you know?”

 

There were some other things he was thinking about, but Saber knew him well enough to know those kinds of things without him having to say them out loud. It was kind of nice, that.

 

“Come on, let’s start heading back now,” Saber said, clapping him on the left shoulder as he turned and made his way back toward the Command Center.

 

“I’ll be right behind you,” he said to Saber’s retreating back. Pausing for a moment, for one last look at the harsh Arizona landscape and the remains of the AEM’s decimated base that he’d seen when he and Saber had crested that last rise, Slade turned to follow his younger twin back to their home-base.

 

Whatever else came, he, Saber, and the rest of the Space Knights would face it together; just like they’d done before, and just like they always would.

 

010100100111

 

Handing in the largish flash drive that contained the data that the Commander had asked her to correlate, Star breathed a sigh of relief. She would at least have some time off, even though she honestly doubted that this would be a day completely free of Radam attacks, and she’d been making at least tentative plans about how to capitalize on it. Tentative because, while she knew what _she_ wanted, she didn’t quite know what _Slade_ wanted.

 

She didn’t know yet if the two of them wanted the same thing.

 

“Here’s that update you asked for, showing the location and growth of the Radam spore-plants,” she said, as she handed the flash drive over.

 

“Very good work,” the Commander said, holding it up to look at for a moment.

 

“Anything else, sir?” she asked, hoping that there wouldn’t be.

 

“No, you’re free to go, Star.”

 

“Commander,” she acknowledged, saluting just before she left Comm. One.

 

Passing through the corridors on her way to her own quarters, Star smiled slightly. She’d worn this new scent, lilac since it seemed to be something that Slade would like, with the hope of getting Slade’s attention. She didn’t quite know if it would work, since she didn’t know how Slade would react to the scent; or if he would even notice it at all.

 

Saber was bound to, but then it wasn’t _Saber’s_ attention she was trying to attract; he’d probably know that, but he wasn’t likely to say anything unless the situation called for it. Or unless it amused him, really.

 

Star thought that she’d heard someone calling out to her, someone who sounded kind of familiar if she were honest, but that might have been just a figment of her imagination. She _had_ been working hard, after all, and she _did_ have a lot on her mind. Continuing on her way without breaking her stride, knowing that anyone who really wanted to talk to her about something would catch up with her later, Star wondered what would happen today.

 

She wondered, also, if Slade would take any more notice of her than he seemed to normally.

 

1010101011

  
Lining up yet another perfect shot with the Z-tron rifle built into the Tekno-suit that he’d “borrowed” from the AEM – and that Commander Jamison had promised on all their behalf to return – Ringo smirked slightly. This might not have been what it was like to be a _real_ Teknoman, but it was as close as he was probably going to get. Especially since Darkon was the only one who seemed to have the capability to _make_ Teknomen, and there was no way in hell that he was going over to Darkon.

 

“Hey, Mac; let’s take a break, huh?” he asked; even as excited as he had been to get his hands on this hardware, things were bordering on the ridiculous. “That’s three hours straight.”

 

“What do you think we’re here for, laddie? Cocoa and cookies?”

 

Of course, when he heard Star over the comm., offering just the kind of drink that Mac had brought up, he’d had to bite back a laugh. _The Irony Gods strike again,_ he thought, with some definite amusement. He could hear Star and Maggie chatting each other up over the still-open channel, and he figured that since Mac wasn’t going to say anything about it, he was going to take the opportunity to leave.

 

Three hours was _more_ than enough to gather data.

 

Ringo climbed out of the Tekno-suit and made his way over to the computer room where Maggie and Mac were working with a definite sense of satisfaction. As interesting as it had been to test out this rig of theirs had been to test, he was looking forward to taking a break. He kind of wondered how long the Space Knights were going to be able to keep the thing, especially given that the Commander himself had promised that they would return the thing, but he wasn’t going to complain as long as he had it.

 

Heck, he’d had his first chance to get into battle with the Spider-crabs, and he was kind of looking forward to more; not like he was _hoping_ for it or anything, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think that Darkon was going to give them anything resembling a break.

 

Continuing on his way up the stairs to the computer room, Ringo paused for a couple seconds as the door “swooshed” open in front of him. Grinning ever-so-slightly, still coming off the high of the hardware he’d been testing, and now amused by the interplay between Star and Maggie, Ringo made his way inside the computer room at last.

 

“You know, it looks like those Military guys finally did something right for once. That Tekno-suit is terrific!” Taking a whiff of the air as it wafted past his face, always having loved the smell of fresh, hot cocoa, he paused as a new and definitely unexpected scent came to him. “Is that _perfume_ I smell?” he smiled slightly. “I guess you must be trying out a new one, right Maggie? Not bad.”

 

“Star’s the one with the new perfume, Ringo. Not me,” the woman in question said.

 

He resisted the urge to take a step back, even though he _was_ still fairly shocked. “ _Star_? I’ve never known you to wear perfume before.”

 

“Well, there’s always a first time, right?” his old friend, the woman he’d known for as long as the two of them had been a part of the Space Knights; something that seemed almost an eternity, given what was happening in the world around them, said. She sounded defensive, which didn’t really lend credibility to whatever story she was going to try to tell them. “I just thought I’d try something new. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.”

 

She left without another word after having said that, but he knew what she wasn’t saying. He couldn’t have mistaken it; the way she spoke and the look in her eyes, not to mention the man she’d so obviously been pining over all the time lately. She’d taken an interest in both twins when they’d first arrived, but that had clearly been an artifact of their sheer novelty.

 

Nothing that wasn’t dangerous had fallen to Earth in the six months proceeding their arrival; and while it _was_ an indisputable fact that the Wonder Twins were dangerous, they were only dangerous to the Radam and their hordes. That was something that hadn’t been seen on little ole Earth since the invasion began. Maybe even before, since humanity in general hadn’t had much of a reason to develop hugely devastating super-weapons before the Radam had made planetfall.

 

 _After_ that, yeah, but then they hadn’t had either the infrastructure or the manpower for it; besides, the Wonder Twins were better than any kind of tactical nuke any day of the week, even if they _did_ have to eat half their weight in food whenever they wanted to spend any appreciable time in battle.

 

 _Be careful, Star,_ he thought in her direction, even though he knew by now that Slade wasn’t the kind of person to abuse a trust or to treat Star badly in any way. Still, it was a clear fact that the kid was dense enough not to recognize his _own_ feelings sometimes, and while he _did_ have Saber around to slap whatever sense needed slapping into his big, empty head, the fact remained that Slade’s ignorance – deliberate or not – was bound to cause Star at least _some_ distress.

 

Looked like he’d be having that talk with Saber a bit sooner than he’d been planning to.

 

111010100100

           

Continuing on his way down the corridors to his and Saber’s rooms, Slade continued to towel himself off; he was walking a bit more briskly than he usually did, to cool down from the exercise that he’d been doing. He could hear Saber doing the same, and he smiled briefly, but he could also hear someone else coming up the other way and he was curious. He couldn’t see who they were, not while he was toweling off his face the way he was, so Slade slowed his pace so that he wouldn’t risk running headlong into this new person for the short time that he wouldn’t be able to see.

 

“Hi,” he said, pulling the towel away from his face at last and realizing that it was Star that he’d been hearing coming down the hall.

 

“Hello, Slade,” Star said, smiling softly at him. “Hi, Saber.” He smiled slightly, turning away and moving out of her path; she probably had more important things to do today than just talking to him. “Have you two been working out at the gym?”

 

“We’ve actually been doing some light jogging,” he heard Saber say from behind him.

 

“Oh, that’s nice,” she said, and he saw her smile a bit wider.

 

“Excuse us, we have to go hit the showers,” he said, wanting to be polite, and knowing how much Saber in particular would want to get on with things. He did too, of course, but Saber had always enjoyed taking showers a bit more than he did.

 

“See you soon, Star,” Saber said, and he could almost _hear_ his younger twin’s wide smile. It made him smile a bit, himself.

 

“Star?” he called, not wanting things to be unsaid between them, but not quite knowing _how_ he could say them without being misunderstood.

 

“If you want to say something, Slade, say it,” she said, and he smiled a bit sheepishly.

 

“All right. Thank you, for everything you’ve done,” he smiled wider. “For both of us,” he said, knowing that Saber would probably be a lot more interested in getting back to their respective rooms and taking one of his famous long, hot showers than in holding any kind of conversation at the moment. “You, and the others, have always been there for Saber and I when we needed you. Always kept trying to help us, even when neither of us were particularly grateful for it.” Slade knew that _he_ had been a hell of a lot more ungrateful for the help, but since Star didn’t seem inclined to bring it up, he wasn’t going to, either. “Your friendship means a lot to me.”

 

“Yeah,” Saber said, moving to stand a bit closer behind him and putting a hand on Slade’s right shoulder. “You really have been one of the best friends Slade and I have had in awhile.”

 

Star smiled, making Slade’s heart feel a bit lighter, but he knew the dangers of those kinds of feelings. He knew what they could lead to; it wasn’t safe for him _or_ Star to be getting into any kind of a close relationship, not now anyway, with the constant threat of the Radam hanging over them. Maybe, once this long battle of theirs had been finished at last, _then_ he and Star would be able to safely explore what it was that they felt for each other.

 

But not before; he didn’t want to subject anyone else to the pain that came with losing a loved one. He’d become all too familiar with that; sharing it with anyone else, and especially someone that he was starting to care for, just wouldn’t be right.

 

“Just _friends_ , you understand,” he clarified, wanting to be as firm as he could, without making Star feel like she was being rejected.

 

“What do you mean, Slade?” Star asked, the look on her face almost making Slade feel bad for what he’d just said.

 

Still, this was the best thing that he could do for them both. “C’mon, Star, you know what I mean.”

 

Yelping as he found the towel that he’d had draped around his neck suddenly pulled up over his head, Slade knew the culprit even before he said a word.

 

“You’ll have to forgive my brother,” Saber said, and Slade could just _see_ him smirking. “He’s being a bit more dense than usual.”

 

“Thanks,” he said, pulling the towel back down around his shoulders so he could give Saber a ringing glare; his younger twin just smirked a bit wider.

 

Leaving before either Star or Saber could think of anything else to say to him, Slade made his way down the corridor, heading for his room a bit faster than he’d been moving before.

 

 _(All right, what’s the matter?)_ Saber asked, sounding a bit more irate than Slade had expected; but, then again, Saber always _did_ seem to be annoyed when he thought Slade was being deliberately stupid.

 

That wasn’t the case this time, but the only way that Saber could know that was if Slade told him.

 

 _(You know the kind of things we’re dealing with right now,)_ he said, moving in beside Saber as the two of them continued on their way down the corridor. _(I just don’t want Star to end up hurting like we are. I don’t want anyone else to feel this way.)_

_(That’s a nice sentiment, brother,)_ Saber said, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Saber rolling his own eyes. _(But don’t you think that should be_ Star’s _choice?)_

Before he could think of anything else to say, some way to convince his younger twin – or at least explain – about his position, Slade heard Ringo’s voice, coming from somewhere up ahead and to their right.

 

“What _you_ need is to think about something else for awhile,” Ringo said, and Slade could see the man in question leaning against a bare patch of corridor wall, just in front of an open door.

 

The blond’s arms were folded, and he winked at the two of them as he and Saber made their way closer. “Slade was being a lunkhead again, wasn’t he, Saber?” Then, before either of them had the chance to give any kind of answer, but _not_ – Slade noticed – before Saber had a chance to chuckle about it, Ringo continued speaking. “That was a rhetorical question, Slade. I know Star wanted to talk to you about something, and I know that she’d have only broken out the perfume for something she considered _really_ important. And, judging by the fact that she isn’t walking with you two, I think it’s safe to say that _one of you_ ,” and Ringo gave him a particularly pointed look. “Upset her, somehow. And, since I know there’s only _one_ of you who would be insensitive enough to do something like that, it stands to reason that Slade was being a lunkhead.”

 

Saber, who he’d heard just starting to snicker while Ringo had been making that speech of his, finally burst out laughing. “Looks like Ringo _really_ has you pegged, big brother.”

 

“Very funny,” he deadpanned, shooting a Look at Saber and then turning one on Ringo.

 

The both of them just smirked back at him, and Slade was sorely tempted, for just a few moments, to stick his tongue out at the both of them. The urge itself was short-lived, and since it was really more something Saber – or Ness Carter, but he didn’t like to think about _that_ – would have done, Slade was perfectly happy to forget about it.

 

“How about we go play a nice game of racquetball?” Ringo asked, in a tone that suggested that he wasn’t going to be taking no for an answer.

 

“That sounds fun,” Saber said, wearing his usual, semi-amused expression.

 

“I _guess_ I can spare some time,” he said, smirking slightly as Saber gave him a Look of his own.

 

“Well, let’s get in there and play, shall we?” Ringo said, turning to lead the three of them into the room he had been standing just outside of.

 

The interior of the room was padded, and lit about as well as any of the other exercise rooms that Slade had come across during the time he’d spent in these areas of the Space Knight Command Center. Looking around as he and Saber made their way inside, trailing a bit behind Ringo, Slade saw the three rackets that Ringo had presumably set out for them.

 

“All right, let’s play,” Ringo said, tossing him and Saber a racket each.

 

The ball was tossed into play, and Slade swiftly found his rhythm as he, Saber, and Ringo all vied for control of it. It was nice just not to have to think, for a bit, just to _do_ things, and hence to avoid thinking about the complexity of his life lately. Still, even then he knew that he couldn’t avoid it for long; something would happen, something always did.

 

00010100101

 

Something had changed within the environment of his teknopod, something that was making his mind and what he could feel of his body feel heavy and sluggish. He didn’t even know that one _could_ feel heavy when they were floating like this, but that was what he felt. There were others around him, he could remember at least that much, but he couldn’t remember who any of them were, anymore.

 

He could recall knowing at one point, but it was as if his mind had fragmented at one point; all he had left was basic data, and little enough of that. That, and then sense that he had somehow failed, that something important had been taken from him. He didn’t know just what it was, not anymore, but he was still aware of it on some level.

 

He wondered what else would happen, what else could be taken from him, now that he had almost nothing left?

 

110100100110

 

While he, Slade, and Saber continued playing their game, Ringo decided that there wouldn’t be a much better time to talk to Slade about him and Star and what they were going to do to move their relationship forward. Or to even get Slade to admit that he and Star _had_ a relationship at all.

 

If he gave Slade time to _think_ about what he was going to say, that would only lead to more stalling on the kid’s part. The key was to catch him off-guard, so Ringo kept playing the game. He knew that, sooner or later, Slade would relax just a bit, and then he would have the opportunity to talk to him without the kid’s defenses getting in the way.

 

As the three of them continued their game, Ringo saw that Slade and Saber had started to compete more with each other than they were with him. Which had pretty much been part of his plan, too: get those kids focused on each other, or really get Slade thinking of him as just another part of the scenery, and it would make things just that much easier for him.

 

“You know, I’m not usually one to tell a guy how to run his love life,” he said, taking a swig at the ball as it pelted toward him after a particularly good swing from Saber. “But, don’t you think it’s about time you told Star how you feel, Slade? She likes you a lot, but she isn’t going to wait forever.”

 

“Wait for what?” the kid asked, and Ringo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, strong as it was. “What’re you talking about?”

 

He thought he might have heard Saber sigh, and while he fully echoed the sentiment, he was at least going to _try_ getting through Slade’s thick skull.

 

“You know what I’m talking about: you’re in love with her,” he said, swatting the ball back to Saber with about as much force as the kid himself had used.

 

Turning when he heard Slade’s pained yelp, Ringo saw the kid rubbing his forehead. He also saw the ball bouncing out of the court, and Saber staring at his brother for a long moment before bursting out into snickers.

 

“You planned that, didn’t you?” Slade asked, turning a stink-eye on Saber.

 

Saber, still stifling the occasional snicker behind his wrist, grinned. “No, but it worked out _so_ well.”

 

“You know, I think a good smack upside the head might be just what the doctor ordered,” he said, grinning widely himself. “You _are_ in love with Star, aren’t you?”

 

“So, what if I am?” Slade asked, no longer looking as playful as he had sounded when he and Saber had been talking.

 

Heck, the kid looked completely serious again; something he hadn’t seen since the three of them were talking in the hallway.

 

He’d clearly have to make this more plain. “Listen, I’ve known Star for a long time now, and I’ll bet you anything you like she feels the same way about you. That new perfume of hers?” he elaborated, calling attention to one of the many things that Slade – being a dolt – probably hadn’t even noticed. “She’s never worn perfume before, so why would she start wearing it now? The answer should be obvious, even to an insensitive dolt like you: she’s in love with you, pal. And, you feel the same way about her, but instead of doing something about it, you keep your feelings bottled up inside. Because you think that, once she really got to know you, she wouldn’t be in love with you anymore, right?”

 

“Ooh, _so_ close,” Saber said, drawing his attention back to the third person in the room; the only one who _wasn’t_ completely thickheaded.

 

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and inviting Saber to elaborate; it wasn’t often that he pegged someone wrong, but it did seem to happen more often than usual when he was dealing with the twins.

 

He’d always liked to think that he was a good at figuring people out, but then most people that he had managed to figure out he’d either known a lot longer than either of them – like in Star’s case – or they were a heck of a lot more open than either of these boys. Even _Saber_ didn’t really talk much about himself, when you came right down to it.

 

“Go ahead, brother, tell him what you were thinking,” Saber said, giving Slade a look that mixed amusement with annoyance.

 

Slade sighed, even as Ringo turned to look at him; there definitely seemed to be a story behind why the kid was reluctant to get close to Star, but since they’d said that it wasn’t the one he’d originally thought, Ringo wondered just what that story was going to end up being.

 

“Something you want to share with the class, Slade?” he asked.

 

“Not particularly,” the kid said, his eyes downcast for just a moment before he seemed to come back to himself. “Look, you know what kind of danger Saber and I have hanging over us; with the Radam here, and Spear doing everything he can to kill us whenever he shows up. Do you really think that that’s the kind of life that anyone in their right mind would want to get involved with?” Slade shook his head, though he seemed more honestly morose than trying to deny what Star was feeling about him. “I just… I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.”

 

Well, _that_ certainly hadn’t been anything like what he’d expected; he’d known Slade was one of _those_ types, but he hadn’t really expected that it even extended to the kid’s love life. Maybe he should have, but Slade’s whole self-sacrifice thing hadn’t really been the first thing on his mind while he’d been talking to the kid.

 

“Don’t you think _Star_ should be the one making those kinds of decisions?” he asked, giving Slade a sidelong look.

 

Saber chuckled. “You know, _I_ was just saying that to him, before we met up with you, Ringo.”

 

“Good. It’s nice to see that _one_ of you still has your head on straight,” he said, even as Slade turned to give him a stink-eye. “Still, we can talk about all that later,” he said, grinning at both of the twins. “Now, I’m going to show you what this game is all about.”

 

“Of _course_ you are,” Saber said, turning one of his infamous smirks on him; Ringo chuckled.

 

Today was really starting to look up; he wondered for a moment when the other shoe was going to drop, but he pushed those morbid thoughts out of his mind with only a bit of effort. The other shoe would drop when it dropped, and the only thing that worrying about it would get him was a tension-headache or an ulcer.

 

1101001001

 

Lord Darkon had ordered him to return to his teknopod, telling him that – in light of the power that his younger brothers had displayed, and their continued defiance – he was to be equipped with a new weapon to counter them: the Reflector. He’d known, given the fact that he had not managed to bring Ness, Cain, and that woman that Cain seemed so attached to into Lord Darkon’s fold, Lord Darkon would naturally see fit to escalate things between them.

 

It was not a prospect that he was particularly happy about, but he knew as well as any Teknoman – and certainly better than some – that Lord Darkon’s dictates were not to be disobeyed.

 

00100101011

 

The sensation of waking was so sharp, so sudden, that it was almost painful. Far more painful, though not in any kind of physical sense, was the piercing, bone-deep knowledge that the only two members of her family that she could really trust weren’t even here. She would have to go and find them, but to even have a chance at that, she would first have to escape from this place. Escape from a creature whose mind had been pressing against her own ever since she had regained the slight shreds of awareness that she had had while she was in the teknopod.

 

Escape from her eldest brother, who would be hunting her down on Darkon’s orders once the evil alien realized that she was gone.

 

Looking over her shoulder one last time, knowing that there was nothing she could do for the rest of her family but feeling like she needed to do this one, last thing at the end of it all, Shara turned to see Sam. Her younger brother – the youngest out of all the Carters – was curled up as tightly as she had once been, inside those glowing, green pods where she and all of the others had been for so long. She could see the outlines of his closed eyes, the way his body moved ever so slightly as he continued breathing, and the way his short hair gently wafted in the minor currents caused by the pod’s pulsing; she could see more than she had ever been able to see as a human.

 

But, she could also see the one thing that she would never have wanted to see in the first place, especially on any member of her family; she could see it, settled just below the base of Sam’s neck, and spreading out veins that pulsed in time with the beating of her younger brother’s heart: the Radam mind-parasite. She could even see, vaguely through the membrane that protected it, the parasite itself, twitching slightly as it adapted to the rhythms of her younger brother’s body.

 

 _Oh, Sam._ Shara, not for the first time, found herself wishing that none of them had ever encountered that ship; or that Father had decided not to explore that ship in the first place. Still, wishing that things had turned out different wouldn’t do anyone any good; she could feel what was wrong with her body, the incomplete transformation that would be the death of her in the end, and she knew that she would have to be quick if she wanted to do any good before she died.

 

“Goodbye, Sam,” she whispered, closing her eyes, briefly allowing herself to _feel_ the almost crushing sorrow of what had been done to the crew of the Argos; not even Ness and Cain had come through unscathed.

 

She still had to get to Earth, to find Ness and Cain so she could tell them where Darkon’s ship and the rest of the Teknomen were; she would have to move quickly, if she was going to have any hope of getting to Ness and Cain while her strength held out.

 

Concentrating on the power that had been forced upon her – the power that was going to be the death of her no matter what she or anyone else did – Shara transformed and flew; breaking free from the moon’s gravity-well and streaking back down to Earth… back to the last of her family.

 

0010010010

 

The sense of someone missing from the Teknosystem, the very person that he had been thinking about these past few days, shocked Spear out of the usual torpor that being inside his teknopod had always seemed to put him in. The fact that he could no longer sense her at all prompted Spear to tear himself free from the membrane enclosing him and sprint over to the chambers where the remaining crew of the Argos had been transferred to. The modifications that Lord Darkon had wanted to make to his weapons system were complete by this time, but even if they hadn’t been, Spear would have dealt with the consequences when they came.

 

Some things were simply more important.

 

Digging his armored toes into the living hull of Lord Darkon’s vessel, Spear found himself standing in front of the chambers that held his remaining friends and family; he found himself staring in helpless horror at the empty chamber, the chamber that was now scattered in pieces on the floor. The chamber that had once held Shara in stasis-sleep as her body underwent the final stages of the Teknoprocess.

 

 _No, please; not Shara, not my little sister. I’ve already lost so much; Ness and Cain, taken from me before their time, and now Shara?_ He knew that there was little that he could do, if Shara had truly been rejected at this final stage, but he was resolved to do whatever he could to help his little sister. He would beg for whatever reprieve that Lord Darkon would be able to provide for her, if that became necessary.

 

There were some things in this world that were far more important than pride, after all.

 

0001010010011

 

The sense of one of the others on Earth, washing over him like he’d just been swamped by a tsunami, prompted Slade to whip around. Looking over his shoulder in the direction that he could sense the newcomer’s mental signature coming from, Slade knew without even having to check that Saber had noticed it at just the same time he had. It felt familiar, but then all of the mental signatures of Darkon’s Teknomen were familiar; he’d known them from the Argos, or even from before.

 

It didn’t make what they were going to have to do any easier, of course; but knowing helped, even if only a bit.

 

“What is it, boys?” Ringo asked, and Slade turned back to see his fellow Space Knight looking warily from him to Saber and back again.

 

“Trouble,” Saber said, sighing with the same kind of weariness that Slade could feel pressing down on him at times like this.

 

He might have been completely aware of the fact that this private war of theirs wouldn’t end until they finally killed Darkon himself, and that they wouldn’t even have a chance of that until they dealt with the rest of his servants – until they had killed the rest of their family and friends – but that didn’t mean that he didn’t hope for at least a small reprieve, sometimes. He just knew that it wasn’t likely to happen. He hated it, but he knew it all the same.

 

110100101011

 

Calling his mount, Spear burst free from Lord Darkon’s vessel and then from the gravity-well of the moon itself, Spear used the mental-link that all Teknoman had with one another to locate the precise point where Shara’s trajectory through the sky of Earth would end. He didn’t know just why she had left, and at this point he was far too concerned about her continued health to worry about such a small thing as that.

 

As he cleared the upper atmosphere, closing the distance between himself and Shara’s landing-point as fast as he possibly could, Spear couldn’t help but be concerned for his younger sister. She must have been so frightened when she had been ejected from the chamber; alone in the world, without even knowing why she was suddenly awake, and most likely in pain from the rejection… he wouldn’t have wished that on any member of his family, nor on any one of his friends.

 

When he finally managed to find the impact-crater caused by Shara’s landing, Spear was unnerved to realize that he couldn’t sense his younger sister anywhere in the vicinity. Shara would have naturally been disoriented by such a rough landing, and so it would have stood to reason that, even if she had possessed the curiosity or presence of mind to climb out of the crater that her landing had caused, Spear would have been able to locate her through the mental-link that the two of them possessed.

 

The fact that he was unable to do such a simple thing could only mean that Shara was blocking him, and the fact that his younger sister could even _consider_ something like that… the implications were not at all pleasant, and nor were they lost on him.

 

In the end, he could only wonder why; why, out of the five siblings that he had loved so much for all of his life, had he ended up with only one who he could truly call family?

 

1101001001

 

When he’d finally managed to at least get Saber to settle down enough to tell him what was going on, Ringo hadn’t been particularly happy to hear it: there was a new Teknoman that had come down to Earth. Sure, it was nice to know in advance when one of the Radam’s Most Vicious would be making an appearance, but it still didn’t make him any happier about the situation in the first place.

 

They’d stopped off at Comm. One to give the Commander the basic rundown on the situation; which had mostly involved him talking, since the twins were obviously a bit too absorbed in what they were sensing to contribute much of anything, and now the four of them were making for the Blue Earth so they could take her up again. So they’d be able to take out this new Teknoman before he caused them more of the same kind of trouble that Spear had already caused for so long.

 

Once they were all onboard the Blue Earth, strapped in and riding her up into the sky so they could deal with this new Teknoman quickly, Ringo couldn’t help but wonder just what else they were going to have to face today. It was pretty much a given that they would end up facing Spear again, what with how he always seemed to be involved in some greater or lesser degree with whatever nasty things the Radam were planning. Not to mention that new Teknoman that the twins had sensed, and the fact that they were probably going to get involved in the fight, themselves.

 

All in all, it wasn’t a situation that Ringo particularly liked, but then he wasn’t going to end up being the one on the sharp end of it, so he wasn’t going to complain; not too much, at least.

 

“Blue Earth to base: all systems go,” he reported, before turning his attention to what they were all actually doing out here. “Star, check our heading.”

 

“Checking now,” she responded, quickly and professionally as ever. “Slade, you said that Spear’s last known location was point 10-20 mark three, correct?”

 

“That’s right,” the kid responded, though there was that same intensity to his voice that suggested he wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation.

 

Heck, given what he could see from his position in the pilot’s chair, even _Saber_ seemed tense, and Saber wasn’t the type to be tense except when things got _really_ bad.

 

That, more than anything else, let Ringo know that it was time to do some of his patented tension breaking: “Folks, this is your pilot speaking,” he said, in an exaggerated ‘airline pilot’ voice. “Welcome aboard, and thank you for flying the Blue Earth.”

 

 _That_ managed to get a reaction, even if it was just Saber looking back over his shoulder to give him a semi-amused look. Smirking back at the kid, Ringo saw Saber rolling his eyes just before he turned back to watching the sky passing them by. They’d nearly reached their destination, and this time he was actually going to be able to do something; something besides just sitting in the pilot’s chair and waiting for whatever fight the twins had gotten themselves into to be finished.

 

Even if he couldn’t help them deal with Spear or that new Teknoman that they were sensing, he would at least be able to keep the Spider-crabs off their backs.

 

As he settled the Blue Earth down on the closest safe LZ – putting enough distance between her and the sector where Spear was presumably hanging around for whatever incomprehensible reasons the Radam Teknoman had for doing anything, without getting far enough away from her that they wouldn’t be able to get back quickly if they had to – keeping his eyes on the controls except for the occasional glance back up at the twins to make sure that they were doing all right, Ringo breathed more easily. They might all be heading into a battle-zone, something that was pretty much guaranteed given the fact that both Slade and Saber had reported sensing Spear in the area, but at least he wasn’t _completely_ useless this time.

 

“C’mon, let’s get going,” Saber said, not sounding particularly enthusiastic about the prospect but hauling himself up and out of his seat anyway.

 

“Yeah,” he said, clapping Saber on his right shoulder as he joined the kid and Slade on their way to the main air lock.

 

Pegas wasn’t the only machine waiting there, though Ringo had to concede that he was the only one that could possibly be called a combat-partner to anyone; for reasons that would have been completely obvious to anyone who spent more than a few minutes around the big mech.

 

“Well, looks like we go the rest of the way on foot,” he said, once he’d gotten the Tekno-suit fully sealed and ready to move; Slade, the lucky cuss, just had to tell Pegas to keep up with him and Saber as the two of them moved out.

 

“Looks like,” Saber said, looking like he was more focused on what _could_ be happening rather than what was; still, it wasn’t as if the kid didn’t have perfectly valid reasons for that.

 

Something nasty _did_ always seem to be just around the corner, after all.

 

As they stood on a hill overlooking the place, Ringo noticed with a slight chill that this was one of the many small resort towns that had been abandoned in the immediate aftermath of the invasion. There were enough empty buildings to keep even someone who _did_ know what they were looking for guessing, if the guy they were looking for was smart enough to keep his head down, at least. Luckily for all of them, Spear had always seemed to be more of the smash-first-and-don’t-bother-asking-questions type, so it probably wouldn’t be _that_ hard finding him.

 

“Are you boys sure that _these_ were the right coordinates?” he asked, not really doubting the twins’ senses – since generally when they said that one of the Radam’s Teknomen had been somewhere, they _had_ been there – but fully aware of the fact that where any of the Radam’s Teknomen showed their armored faces, a trail of destruction wasn’t that hard to find. “This place is quiet as an empty church.”

 

“Yeah,” Slade said, his eyes narrowed, making him look like he was either thinking really hard about something, or nervous about something. Though, knowing Slade, it was probably both. “That’s what worries me.”

 

“What do you mean, Slade?” Star asked, sounding about as worried as he felt with _that_ still in the air.

 

“Spear isn’t the type not to have a plan when he goes to do something; the fact that it’s _this_ quiet beforehand probably means that he’s luring us into a trap,” Saber said flatly, glaring down at the town in front of them like it had personally offended him.

 

 _Well, so much for finding Spear the easy way,_ he groused, knowing that Saber’s assessment of Spear was probably right on the money, in spite of how much he really, _really_ didn’t want it to be. “In that case, you kids better stay together. Strength in numbers, and all,” he said, looking from the kids standing next to him, to the resort town they were all gathered above and back again. “All right, I’ll start at the northern end of the town, and you boys start at the southern end; we’ll join up in the middle.”

 

“Just make sure you contact us _quickly_ if you happen to be the one who ends up running into Spear,” Saber said, giving him an honestly concerned look from those blue eyes of his.

 

“Who do you think I am, _Slade_?” he asked, smirking even though he was perfectly aware that Saber wouldn’t be able to see it through the helmet that he currently had on. “By the way, Star,” he continued, unable to resist the urge to pull Slade’s string just a bit more. “I’ve been meaning to tell you: I _love_ that perfume you’re wearing. See ya!”

 

He could hear Saber’s badly-hidden snickering coming from behind him as he jetted off, and Ringo grinned. If nothing else, _that_ would probably get Slade’s head out of the clouds.

 

10100101001

 

Making their way through the small town, their senses primed to detect any trace of Spear’s mental signature, Slade found himself steadily distracted by one of his other senses. The perfume that Star was wearing – _had been_ wearing since before the start of this latest mission – was as nice as Ringo had said; and better still, it helped to distract him from the scent of the spore-plants and the confusing way his body was reacting to it: on the one hand, he knew that large enough concentrations of the gas that the spore-plants put out would have knocked anyone human unconscious, yet another reason he was grateful to be out in the open whenever they had to pass them, but he was also becoming aware of just how the gas made him – and probably Saber, since they had both gone through the same thing and were both the same kind of… being – feel lighter and more energized.

 

Slade knew why _that_ was, too, for all that he didn’t want to think about it.

 

Forcing his thoughts away from the past, and all of the pain that it held, Slade concentrated on what he was sensing. Or rather, what he _wasn’t_ sensing. “I think Spear must’ve split before we got here,” he said, nibbling his lower lip with his canine teeth. “If he were anywhere _near_ this area, Saber and I would have sensed his presence by now.”

 

“You haven’t been sensing him either, Saber?” Star asked.

 

“Not a thing,” his younger brother said, looking like he didn’t know quite whether he was happy about the situation or not.

 

Slade could definitely sympathize: if Spear wasn’t here, then that meant that they wouldn’t have to face him today, but it _also_ meant that he could have been in any one of those buildings, just plotting when and where he was going to strike; it certainly wouldn’t have been his _first_ experience with having someone block his telepathic sense of them. Saber had done it, too; only once, but the feeling of reaching out for his younger twin only to be rebuffed by a wall of _nothing_ wasn’t one that he was going to forget anytime soon.

 

“What’s up, Slade?” Star asked, bringing his attention back to the present again. “Is something wrong?”

 

“No,” he said, even though the mental silence _was_ starting to become a bit unnerving under the circumstances.

 

“Might as well take a look around,” Star said, pointing forward for a second, before she started moving.

 

 _(Lunkhead,)_ Saber said, starting to move a bit faster himself.

 

 _(I am not a lunkhead,)_ he shot back, falling into step with his younger twin as the two of them continued on their way into the town. The scent of Star’s perfume, carried on the wind as she took point for their group, prompted Slade to smile, just a bit.

 

“Star?” he called, ignoring the fact that Saber was probably going to rib him mercilessly for what he was about to say. “I… I really like your perfume,” he said, almost in a single breath.

 

“What?” she asked, her tone making it clear that she hadn’t quite been able to parse his phrase.

 

“That scent you’re wearing, it’s nice,” he clarified. _Great, now I really_ do _sound like a lunkhead._

 

“What, you mean you noticed?” Star asked, sounding like she was genuinely surprised, and not just teasing him the way that Saber was probably going to be doing for the rest of the day. “Thank you, Slade.”

 

 _(Yeah, way to go, Casanova. It only took you, what, like six hours to_ say _something?)_

 

 _Ah, so the ribbing begins. (No commentary from_ you _, wiseass.)_ Before either of them could get _too_ carried away with their teasing – fun as he had to admit that it was – the sense of Spear’s presence washed over him, feeling all the stronger for the fact that their older brother had been suppressing it for so long. “He’s here.”

 

“ _What_?” Star gasped. “We’ve got to find Ringo.”

 

“Pegas, keep Star with you!” he called back, not even slowing to hear his combat-partner’s acknowledgement; he knew from long experience that Pegas would follow his orders.

 

He also knew, that given the strength of Spear’s mental signature, the Radam Teknoman had to be leading them into some sort of trap. He might not have known exactly how or when that trap was going to be sprung, but he knew that it was _there_ , at least; that would have to be enough. He’d make sure it was enough.

 

When the mental-link guiding him felt like it was as strong as it was ever going to get, Slade dug in his heels and stopped himself before he could overshoot their target. Their target, as it turned out, was the one place that he would never have expected to find their brainwashed older brother: a church. Conrad had never been one for going to church – none of them had been, really – so to find that the telepathic trail that they had been following ended here was surprising, to say the least.

 

“This _has_ to be some kind of sick joke,” he heard Saber mutter, and when he looked back over his shoulder at his younger twin, he found Saber leveling an annoyed glare on the run-down building in front of them.

 

“Yeah,” he muttered, turning his attention back to the church, and more than that, to Spear.

 

Really, he would have expected to find their older brother in a library, or a bakery, or some kind of store that sold cooking supplies; a church just didn’t fit that pattern. But then, when Slade had thought a bit more about the situation – while he was shoving open the doors in front of him and making his way into the church – Slade realized that Spear’s presence made a bit more sense than he’d thought at first. He’d… well, _Conrad_ had always considered libraries to be special places; almost bordering on sacrosanct, to hear him tell it sometimes.

 

He wouldn’t have been willing to fight someone in either of the other two places – not under anything but the most extreme circumstances – since he had always been the type to respect the work that other people had done; particularly bakers, since he’d enjoyed that, himself.

 

With all of that in mind, finding Spear in a place like this made more sense to him, for all that Slade would have preferred not to meet him again at all.

 

“It’s good to see you again, little brothers,” Spear said, and even as far back as he was, Slade could see the evil Teknoman’s soft smile.

 

“What’re you here for?” he demanded, not anywhere near in the mood to deal with the Radam Teknoman’s false friendliness; even if it _was_ real, he still couldn’t trust it.

 

He knew that better than anyone, now.

 

“You should already know the answer to _that_ , little brother,” Spear said, the friendly smile on his face slipping away, replaced by the kind of disappointed expression that, back when the two of them had actually been family, he’d hoped not to be the cause of. “Oh, I see we have a guest.”

 

Whipping around, knowing that there was only one person who Spear wouldn’t have recognized right away, Slade saw Star standing in the doorway. He froze for a moment, seeing the woman he was just starting to admit aloud that he cared about facing someone with both the power and the sheer lack of anything to hold him back from just killing her right where she stood, Slade felt like his heart had just stopped. It started again after a few, long seconds, pounding loud enough that he was almost shocked that neither Saber nor Spear mentioned it.

 

“Star, stay back! He’s dangerous! Pegas, protect her!” he shouted, hoping that his and Saber’s combat-partner would be enough to keep Star out of harm’s way; even if he _was_ just in his human form right now, Slade was fully aware that Spear could transform in nearly an instant.

 

11010010100

 

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting, little brother?”

 

Hearing Spear, the evil Teknoman who had done so much damage to Earth and the people trying to fight for the planet, speaking so softly – almost kindly – to Slade, came as a shock. Star would have expected someone so dangerous to… well, _look_ more dangerous. Spear, without his armor and that creature that he rode on, was actually almost handsome. Really, if she’d met him on the street or in the city somewhere, she would have probably thought that he was a nice person; someone she’d liked to have known better.

 

That thought, more than anything else, let her know just how potentially dangerous Spear really was.

 

“I’ve been meaning to thank you,” Spear said, and Star was startled to find that the evil Teknoman’s gaze was resting on _her_ ; not either of the twins, but her. “Since that day I saw you in that ship,” the evil Teknoman clarified, obviously having seen her confusion and just as obviously having mistaken the cause of it for something else entirely. “You kept one of my younger brothers safe. I just wanted to thank you for that.”

 

The gentle smile on Spear’s face didn’t fit at all with the mental image of the brutal combatant that she had seen whenever the Radam Teknoman had shown his face, but it seemed genuine all the same. “What do you mean?”

 

“That day, when you held Saber in your arms; when you protected him from what you saw as a threat, that was when I knew that I was indebted to you. I’d hoped that we would be able to meet, someday.”

 

Slade and Saber were both tense – more tense than she had ever seen Slade, and certainly moreso than she had ever seen _Saber_ – looking as if they didn’t quite know what to do. She could certainly sympathize: sure, it _looked_ like all Spear was going to do was talk, but none of them had any way of knowing just when or how he was going to attack. There was only the certainty that he would; he was a Teknoman under the command of the Radam, it was what they _did_.

 

“Why?” she asked, not thinking that a question that simple would be enough to provoke him, and wanting to know just what one of Radam’s Teknomen could have ever wanted with _her_.

 

He smiled gently, the corners of his unnaturally red eyes even crinkling up the way her father’s would when _he_ smiled like that. “Because, I had once thought that I would have to kill _all_ of the humans who had taken my younger brothers captive. You’ve helped me to realize that I might not need to take such drastic measures. I’m also glad to know that my younger brothers have someone like you to look out for them. Saber in particular,” the Radam Teknoman said, his smile becoming more gentle than before, but also slightly knowing.

 

“What do you mean by _that_?” she asked, beginning to suspect that she knew what he was thinking; he was wrong, and his concern for her well-being – under the circumstances – was fairly unnerving to her, but she could at least guess what he was getting at.

 

“I saw how you looked at Saber, that day when I saw you in the ship,” Spear said, tilting his head slightly in what she took to be a conciliatory gesture. “I’m glad that he’s found someone to look after him; you may have noticed that he can be a bit impulsive, sometimes.”

 

She heard a sound, like quickly smothered laughter, coming from just behind her and to the left; Star wondered for a moment just what Saber had been so amused by, but decided to ask him later. There would be plenty of time for all of them to talk once they _weren’t_ being confronted by one of Darkon’s most powerful enforcers. Even though this wasn’t at all like what she had imagined such a confrontation would entail.

 

“Cut the crap, _Spear_ ,” Saber interjected suddenly, seeming to put particular emphasis on the Radam Teknoman’s name for whatever reason.

 

“Don’t be rude, little brother,” Spear chided, his attention momentarily distracted from her; Star was grateful for the reprieve, short as it ultimately was. When the Radam Teknoman turned his inhumanly red eyes back to her, she couldn’t help but tense; his unexpected kindness notwithstanding, he was still one of Earth’s most dangerous enemies. “I’m sorry, I seem to have forgotten my manners. My name, though you might have heard it said before, is Spear. Pleased to meet you.”

 

He was holding out his hand, and though Star knew the etiquette for times like this, she wasn’t about to shake the hand of someone who had hurt her friends and the man she loved. After standing with his right hand extended for a few, long moments – moments during which Star couldn’t help but watch the expressions that played across the Radam Teknoman’s face – Spear retracted said hand with an expression that seemed both disappointed and resigned at once.

 

Seeing Spear look at her like that, as if he was somehow blaming _her_ for being wary around  him – as if he wasn’t a monster that had attacked not only the Earth and her people as a whole, but the very people who he was trying to act so protective of – Star felt a surge of anger. Before Star could think twice about what she was doing, before she could consciously recall the fact that this was one of Darkon’s Teknomen and that for all his apparent kindness and even-temper he was still perfectly capable of killing her with what would probably seem like a trivial effort to him, Star slapped Spear right across the face.

 

However, when she saw the evil Teknoman with his head turned slightly to the left, a slight patch of red on his right cheek from the force of her slap, blinking in what had to be surprise – more than that, once she saw the way that Slade and Saber both seemed to have to suddenly stop themselves from leaping forward – Star cringed inwardly at what she had just done.

 

However, the Radam Teknoman’s reaction surprised her once again: reaching up to touch the cheek that she had slapped, the look Spear turned on her was one of honest hurt. “Do you really think I deserved that?”

 

The anger that had been buried under the sudden fear of what Spear might do to her surged back to the forefront of her mind then, and Star stepped forward to confront the evil Teknoman. “You said that you remembered me from when you saw me holding Saber inside the Blue Earth,” she snapped, just managing to resist the urge to grind her teeth at the expression on Spear’s face. “But, do you remember what _else_ you were doing, that day? Do you remember what you were doing to Slade?” Star narrowed her eyes, seeing the expression on Spear’s face. “Do you even _care_?”

 

The evil Teknoman’s eyes sank closed for a long moment, as if what she had just said had caused him actual, physical _pain_ , and when he opened them Star swore that he was on the verge of crying. “You have _no_ _idea_ how hard that was for me.”

 

She didn’t even notice that Spear’s left hand was resting on her shoulder until she felt the weight of it, and the warmth through her vest. Shoving Spear’s hand off, enraged that the evil Teknoman could even _think_ that the anguish he had caused himself with his own actions could even begin to compare to what he had done to Slade; and the anguish that he had put Saber through during that horrible day and night.

 

“No, I _don’t_ know,” she snapped, her fists clenching as she continued staring at the expression on the evil Teknoman’s face; Star had never truly _hated_ anyone before this war against the Radam had stared, but now she knew what it was like. She’d hated General Gault for what he had done to Slade, and indirectly to Saber by separating the two of them, and now she had found someone else that drew that same, seething loathing from her.

 

She didn’t like hatred; she didn’t like the feel of it, the way it seemed to burn inside her, the way it seemed to take over her mind – shoving all other feelings aside – when she was forced to confront one of the few people that she truly hated. But, seeing all that General Gault – and now Spear – had done to the men that she had come to love, though in different ways, Star found that she couldn’t just let the feeling go.

 

She had hated General Gault, still hated the man; and now, she hated Spear, for all that he had done and for all that he was continuing to do. Both to the twins, and to the people of Earth as a whole.

 

“I don’t know what you thought or what you felt that day, I just know how badly you hurt two of my best friends,” she said, furious at the self-justifications Spear was trying to use on her. Even if he _did_ believe them, she wasn’t about to let him think he could get away with it. “I just know that neither of them were quite themselves, after what you did to them.”

 

0100101010

 

 _(I can_ definitely _see why you like her,)_ he said, though the thought of Star confronting Spear while completely unarmed made him feel like someone had dumped a bucket of ice down his spine whenever he paused to actually _think_ about it.

 

 _(Yeah,)_ Slade said, and he could tell that his brother was almost more tense than he was; that fit, though, considering the way he obviously felt about Star.

 

And, considering that his lunkhead of a brother had finally _admitted_ how he felt about her, that just made it all the more understandable.

 

_(We’re going to have to move quickly; I don’t know how long Spear is going to let Star talk to him like that. She might be friends with us, but she’s still human. You know how the Radam feel about humans.)_

_(Yeah,)_ he said, worried all over again; as much as he didn’t like thinking about it, he knew just what kind of low opinion the Radam had of humanity in general.

 

Falling into step with Slade as the two of them made their way to stand beside Star, he studied Spear’s stance. Sure, the Radam Teknoman _seemed_ relaxed and completely at ease, but Saber knew better than most just how deadly a combatant his and Slade’s brainwashed older brother was. Spear seemed to be extremely calm and at ease, even in the face of Star’s clearly deep and abiding loathing of him.

 

But, like Slade, he wasn’t willing to trust that Spear would be so placid forever.

 

“I’m sorry that you feel that way,” Spear said, the look on his face still that same, allegedly understanding one that Saber had seen on their brainwashed older brother’s face the last time they had seen him untransformed. “But, you have to understand, I-”

 

Spear seemed almost about to reach out, like he wanted to try to comfort her, the same way that Conrad would have done if he’d found someone in distress. Conrad hadn’t been the kind of person who could just stand back and watch when he saw someone who was clearly not feeling at their best, even if he _didn’t_ know them very well. He might not have tried to _do_ anything for those people that he didn’t know well enough to talk to, but it was always clear that Conrad felt bad about that.

 

It was kind of disconcerting, seeing this distorted version of their older brother in front of them, but Saber wasn’t going to let himself think about that; he wouldn’t be able to fight if he let himself think about just who he and Slade were fighting.

 

“ _No_ ,” Star snapped, clearly not in the mood to listen to any more of Spear’s crap; Saber could completely sympathize. “I don’t have to _understand_. _You_ understand: you hurt Slade, you made sure that the only thing that Saber, Ringo, and I could do was to watch helplessly while the military attacked him. I don’t care what you thought you had to do then, and I certainly don’t care what you think you have to do now. You hurt my friends; I’m _not_ going to forgive you for that.”

 

He could almost _see_ the moment when Spear’s friendly façade slipped; oh, it wasn’t anything drastic – anyone else would have probably just thought their older brother was disappointed in them; which he probably _was_ , but Saber made it a point not to think about things that didn’t matter. Things that _couldn’t_ matter – but Saber could spot the changes as easily as if they’d been highlighted in bright colors, and he knew that Slade could, as well. As Spear sighed, that look of pained disappointment that Saber had long since resigned himself to seeing – and subsequently ignoring – on the Radam Teknoman’s face, Saber fell into step with Slade as the two of them moved to stand in front of Star.

 

He knew what was going to happen next; he’d gone too far along this road _not_ to know it, and now all that mattered was to keep Star from becoming the latest victim of their brainwashed, psychotic older brother.

 

“I was going to ask if you wanted to join our family, but I can see now that even _that_ would be a wasted effort,” Spear said, and Saber could sense the subtle, _charged_ feeling in the atmosphere for just a few moments when the Radam Teknoman pulled out his crystal.

 

Saber was quick to do the same. “I’m glad you realized that,” he said lightly, smiling as calmly as he ever had, his fingers clenched tightly around his own teknocrystal.

 

“Star, get out of here,” he heard Slade say, though most of his attention was focused on Spear; he couldn’t afford a lapse, not with Slade needing to get back to Pegas the way he did.

 

“Right; good luck, you two,” Star said, and he could hear her light – well, lighter than his and Slade’s, anyway – footsteps retreating from the battlefield.

 

For a moment, Saber saw Spear’s eyes flick over his left shoulder, as if he was still tracking Star’s movements even then. His jaw tightened slightly, even as the Radam Teknoman’s bright crimson eyes settled on him again. Smirking at the anguished expression on Spear’s face, he bared his teeth in a fierce grin.

 

“Well, looks like things are getting interesting again.”

 

“Cain-”

 

“Tekno-power!” he shouted, before Spear could articulate whatever it was that he’d been about to say; there was nothing that the evil Teknoman _could_ say that Saber would be even remotely interested in.

 

Nothing at all.

 

He could feel a surge of energy as Slade transformed, even as he burst through the roof of the church and his lancer deadlocked with Spear’s. _(Good to have you here, brother.)_

_(Good to be here, brother,)_ Slade said warmly.

 

He’d thought, for a few moments, about asking how Star was doing, but that wasn’t something that either of them could be thinking about. Not right now, with Spear in front of them; the only thing that mattered right now was to survive the fight they were in.

 

Saber took the offensive quickly, driving Spear back for the few moments it took for Slade to join him, and then he allowed himself to relax slightly. Turning briefly, still a bit worried about Star even in spite of the fact that he knew that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, he caught sight of her standing with Pegas. The big mech was standing at her back, close enough to get her out of the way if – somehow – the tides of battle turned against them, and they were forced to move in that direction.

 

Saber honestly hoped they wouldn’t, but there was no real predicting things like this; no matter how much he might have wished otherwise.

 

Turning his full attention back to Spear, Saber tensed as he saw the all-too-familiar crackling of electricity at the tip of Spear’s teknolance. Shoving Slade aside, not wanting the both of them to end up being hit by Spear’s attack if he could help it. Gritting his teeth as the channeled electricity slammed into him, Saber was distantly aware of Slade calling his name.

 

 _(Better for just one of us to get hit than both of us,)_ he said, breathing deeply in an effort to regain his equilibrium. _(Don’t argue with me, brother; you know I’m right.)_

 

There was no response from Slade, but Saber had a feeling that he knew what his big brother would have said, all the same.

 

Raising his lancer to deflect a blow from Spear’s, Saber turned and delivered a powerful side-kick to the Radam Teknoman’s armored face. When Spear broke off, likely trying to get some distance so he could do more damage, Saber was quick to pursue him. Harrying the evil Teknoman, swiping at him with the energy-ribbon contained within his teknolance, Saber made it a point to keep at least one eye on his surroundings even as he did so.

 

He wouldn’t do anyone any good if he let himself be lead into a trap.

 

As he and Slade crossed paths mid-flight, looping back around so that they could continue engaging Spear, he noticed the Radam Teknoman attempting to break off again. But, when he and Slade turned again, so that they could close with him and hopefully end this fight quickly, Spear suddenly cut his thrusters and dropped out of the air.

 

“I had hoped not to have to resort to such brutal tactics, but I suppose in the end you’re not giving me a choice in the matter, little brothers.”

 

“Don’t you _ever_ call us that,” he heard Slade snarl, obviously angrier with Spear than Saber had ever let himself become. “You’re no family of ours, _Spear_ ; you’re just one more of the Radam’s puppets.”

 

As Spear tilted his head slightly more toward Slade, but before their brainwashed older brother could start to say another word, Slade flung the two bladed boomerangs at the leading edge of his lancer right at Spear’s head. Sure, the Radam Teknoman dodged fast enough that neither of them even came close to scratching him, but if _that_ couldn’t make him finally get the message and shut up, Saber was going to personally electrocute him with his lancer.

 

But, all Spear did was bow his head, shaking it slowly once, before he leaped into the air and sped off with a burst from his thrusters. Hissing through his teeth in furious annoyance, he flew after Spear; he could see Slade flying next to him, and for a moment he hoped that the two of them weren’t being lead into some kind of a trap.

 

Spear paused for a moment in the air, staring down at whatever his target was like some kind of hunting hawk, and Saber pushed his own thrusters in an effort to catch up to the evil Teknoman. He knew damn well, after all that he and Slade had been forced to deal with, that any plans Spear was making were best nipped in the bud quickly.

 

He was distantly aware of Slade’s shout, a name that Saber was sure he would have recognized under any other circumstances, but he was a bit more focused on his pursuit of Spear than he was on listening to Slade at the moment. When Spear threw his lancer, aimed forward like the harpoon it so closely resembled, Saber cursed under his breath and threw his own lancer, aiming to knock Spear’s off-course the way he had done before.

 

Spear, however, did something that he hadn’t thought to expect: the Radam Teknoman threw out his arm, wrapping his laser-line around Saber’s teknolance and pulling it off-course. Startled to see _his_ teknolance in _Spear’s_ hand, Saber was almost unprepared when the Radam Teknoman threw his own lancer back at _him_. Dodging out of the way, nearly at the last minute, Saber grabbed his teknolance out of the air and faced Spear once more.

 

He wasn’t particularly happy, with himself for reacting slower than probably would have been best for him, and with Spear for being one of Darkon’s brainwashed lackeys, but he supposed that happiness wasn’t really in the cards for the moment.

 

01001001001

 

When Spear had thrown his teknolance at Star, Slade felt like his heart had leaped up into his throat; then, when Saber had attempted to deflect it with his own lancer, Slade had let himself relax slightly. Then, when Spear had grabbed Saber’s lance, pulling it off-course and throwing it back at his younger twin, Slade had found himself getting tense all over again.

 

He was also furious; Spear had not only tried to kill _Saber_ , who was clearly a threat considering the fact that his younger twin was attacking him, but _Star_ , who couldn’t do anything to fight him at all. Seeing her, frozen in stark terror as Spear’s lancer had bore down on her, he’d felt a surge of protective fury. He wanted Spear to _suffer_ for what he’d tried to do, not only to Star but to Saber, as well.

 

Concentrating, Slade drew on the power that the Radam had forced on him, channeling it into his pauldrons so that he would be able to unleash it on Spear. Spear landed on top of an old, run down building, one that was dilapidated enough that he probably wouldn’t have been able to tell what it was even if he _had_ been paying attention, Spear stared down at him with clear annoyance.

 

“What are you planning now, little brother?” Spear asked, his tone flatter than Slade had ever heard it.

 

“ _Guess_ ,” he snarled, the energies contained in his body reaching their peak and just waiting to be released. “Tekno-bolt!”

 

The energy he’d been channeling burst out in a pair of bright, coruscating green streams of light, heading straight where he aimed them; straight for Spear. He was expecting the Radam Teknoman to dodge, or to lunge at him in an attempt to attack him. What he was _not_ expecting, was for Spear to fire his _own_ Tekno-bolt, or for said Tekno-bolt to break into flashing streams of red light that – after they had lashed out and hammered both him and Pegas to the ground – wrapped around the Tekno-bolt that he had just fired and then _contained_ it somehow.

 

But, that was what happened all the same, leaving him to stare at the hovering form of his Tekno-bolt, pulsing obediently just above Spear’s open right hand.

 

“I had once hoped that I would not have to resort to these measures,” Spear said, his tone eerily dead once again; if Slade had been particularly concerned with the personal feelings of one of Darkon’s servants he might have been worried. “However, it seems as if I have no more time for negotiation.”

 

“What do you think _that’s_ going to do to me?” he snarled, tensing in preparation to leap out of the way of the inevitable Tekno-bolt that was likely to be thrown at him sooner than later.

 

“Little brother, whoever said I was going to aim this at _you_?”

 

He didn’t have more than a few seconds to wonder what Spear was talking about, before the Radam Teknoman turned on his right heel and launched the gathered energy right over them. Saber’s scream alerted Slade to just where Spear had aimed.

 

“Saber!” he shouted, diving forward to catch his younger twin as he fell out of the air.

 

The ridges of Saber’s armor began glowing as he lay in Slade’s arms, shining with the turquoise light that Slade had become so familiar with during the time that the two of them had fought together, and the crystal-field had soon enveloped him and then his armor vanished entirely. Out of the corner of his left eye, Slade noticed a blast of energy screaming over his head. Most of his attention was focused on Saber at the moment, however; he didn’t take much note of Ringo’s voice, shouting at Spear.

 

“Come on, Slade,” Star said, standing in front of him, her right hand helping to support Saber’s unconscious body. “Let’s get Saber back to the Blue Earth.”

 

“Right,” he said, nodding shakily as he levered himself back to his feet.

 

He was worried more about what might have been happening to Saber than anything else, and so he was almost completely blindsided by the sudden sense of yet another Teknoman pressing down on his mind. He knew who it was, or at least who it once had been: Shara. He didn’t like the thought that he would soon be forced to fight his little sister, but then he hadn’t liked the idea of being forced to fight his and Saber’s older brother, either.

 

He’d long since come to understand, if not accept, the fact that life wasn’t fair.

 

As Spear flew off, probably going to meet up with the Teknoman who had once been Shara, Slade couldn’t even let himself relax slightly the way he otherwise would have under these kind of circumstances. Saber was still injured, stripped of his armor and unconscious in Slade’s arms – vulnerable to anything that might try to attack them on either Spear’s or Darkon’s orders – so the only thing Slade could really focus on was getting his younger twin back into the Blue Earth so he could get Saber into the infirmary.

 

Being hit with a Tekno-bolt point-blank, even in full armor, couldn’t have been healthy.

 

“I’ll take Saber the rest of the way, Slade,” Star said, smiling kindly at him. “You’d better transform back.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, bowing his head slightly as he handed Saber over to Star; he knew that he could trust her, but he still couldn’t help worrying. Saber would have done the same, he knew. “Thanks, Star.”

 

“Go on, Slade,” Star said, her eyes crinkling up a bit as she smiled wider. “I’ll make sure Saber’s settled in comfortably.”

 

With a last look back at Saber and Star, Slade made his way back over to Pegas. Ordering the mech to open its interlock-chamber so he could reverse his transformation, Slade felt the energy he’d been using flow quickly out of him. Since he hadn’t taken _too_ much damage while he was fighting Spear – though that thought didn’t comfort him much under the circumstances – he didn’t quite feel the need to pass out, the way he usually did.

 

It was still a near thing, but Slade was determined to at least make it back to the Blue Earth’s cockpit before he lost consciousness; he wanted to do at least _that_ much for his younger twin, after all that Saber had done for him. Settling back into his chair, feeling the weight of the exhaustion he’d been pushing away up to this point, Slade just managed to turn his chair so that Saber was in his line of sight before he lost consciousness entirely. He hoped, for just a moment, that things would be better when he woke up, but he’d been dealing with this kind of thing for too long to think that that would happen now.

 

Maybe later, but not now.

 

 

10100100110

 

For a few moments, even when he had sensed Shara’s presence so clear and so close, Spear had been tempted to deal with the false Teknoman that had tried to set himself against him. Those fakes were an insult to every true Teknoman, and while he normally wasn’t one to put too much stock in pride – he’d never seen the point, honestly; it was far too easy for an opponent to hold something over you if you were a slave to pride – he couldn’t deny the urge to destroy that pitiful false Teknoman where he stood.

 

Still, the welfare of his family had and always would come first; even if Shara _had_ come to Earth to make contact with Ness and Cain, he would find her and bring her back where she belonged. He wouldn’t let his little sister die for her own foolishness. He was the eldest brother, it was his duty to protect his younger siblings.

 

Tracking Shara’s mental signature with the same ease as he did any of the others – at least those who had been awakened thus far – Spear also made sure to search for physical signs of where his little sister had gone. The mental signals she was giving off were strong enough to suggest that she had transformed, and so could just as easily have flown away from whatever point of impact she had made when she landed on Earth, but finding that landing point would at least give him a place to _start_ his search.

 

Under the circumstances, Spear would take what he could get.

 

Guiding his mount forward, following the psychic trail that all Teknomen left unless they were particularly careful to shield their minds, Spear swept his gaze slowly from side to side, taking in the whole of his surroundings with his usual patience even in spite of the fact that he honestly doubted he would find any signs of Shara’s presence when her mental signature was so far away.

 

It wouldn’t do to lose her just because he thought he could overlook something.

 

 _Shara, why did you run away from us?_ He wondered, still scanning the empty desert despite the fact that Shara’s mental signature had weakened too much to be of use in tracking her anymore. She had obviously resumed her human form, and could either be unconscious or just out of his immediate range. _I suppose it doesn’t really matter in the end, though. I’ll find you and bring you home again,_ Spear mused to himself, feeling the same calmness that he sometimes felt in battle descending on him once again. _Just like I’m going to bring Ness, Cain, and that human named Star home, too._

 

His resolution made, Spear took one last look at the empty landscape surrounding him, then gently tapped his mount with the toe of his left foot, commanding it to head back into the sky; he would return later and continue his efforts to search for his little sister, but for the moment he needed to rest.

 

001001001001

 

Star found Slade exactly where she had been expecting to: sitting at Saber’s bedside, with his twin brother’s left hand clasped tightly in both of his. Smiling gently, Star made her way over to his side.

 

“How’s he doing?” she asked softly, knowing that Saber was a fairly light sleeper and so wanting to be quiet for his sake.

 

“He’s been sleeping all this time,” Slade muttered, his attention clearly more focused on his brother than on anything she was saying.

 

“I’m sorry to hear that, Slade,” she said, setting her right hand on his left shoulder as she came over to stand next to him. “I’m sure he’ll be all right again soon, though.”

 

“Yeah,” Slade muttered, his gaze still fixed on the subtle rise and fall of his brother’s chest as he breathed.

 

“Hey, how’s everyone doing in here?” Star heard Ringo call, and she turned to look over at the door to the infirmary.

 

“Saber hasn’t woken up yet,” she said, when it had become plainly obvious that Slade himself wasn’t going to say anything. “But, I’m sure he will soon.”

 

“Yeah, that kid’s indestructible,” Ringo said, though he was clearly looking at Slade when he said that, so Star thought he might have been speaking more for Slade’s benefit than anyone else’s. “Give him some time to sleep it off, and he’ll be back good as new.”

 

“You hear that, Slade?” she asked, smiling as she turned back to the man she had come to care so much for during the months and months that they had spent together. “Slade?” she called softly when he didn’t respond.

 

When she saw him slumped over Saber, Star felt a momentary jolt of fear, but when she looked closer she found Slade’s breathing was deep and even, and there was a peaceful expression on his face. He’d clearly just fallen asleep during his self-appointed vigil, and Star smiled in relief. It looked like he wouldn’t have to deal with the uncertainty he’d so clearly been prey to for too long.

 

She was glad for that; he worried so much when Saber was injured or unconscious, he deserved the small mercy of being unconscious during that time, himself.

 

“So, that’s their older brother out there, huh?” Ringo asked morosely, after having studied the slumbering forms of the twins for a long moment.

 

“Yeah,” she said, turning back to look at the slumbering forms of Slade and Saber; she couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been for them, having to fight a member of their own family.

 

The way Spear had acted, the clear worry he’d been showing for the both of them – warped as it so clearly had been by whatever the Radam had done to him – made her heart swell with sorrow for the both of them. And, even though she still hated what he had been trying to do to the two of them, Star found that she could still find it in her heart to feel sympathy for Spear.

 

He had clearly been warped by whatever it was that the Radam did to make their Teknomen loyal to them, and for a moment, Star found herself wondering just how Slade and Saber had managed to escape that same, sad fate themselves.

 

“I can just see the headlines now,” Ringo said, distracting Star from her semi-morbid thoughts. “Space Knights’ brother works for aliens, helping them to conquer the Earth,” Ringo continued, adopting a stereotypical “news anchor” tone.

 

“For their sake, I hope no one finds out about that,” she muttered, continuing to stare down at the twins, turning over Spear’s earlier actions in her mind; he’d seemed like the kind of person she would have liked, if she’d met him when he was still human.

 

“Yeah,” Ringo said, sounding sober again. “Me, too. Take good care of them, Star. Those kids of ours might just be the only hope the Earth has.”

 

“I will,” she said, as Ringo turned to leave the infirmary.

 

She couldn’t see herself doing anything else, really; not when she cared so much for the both of them, not after they had both done so much for the Earth in general and the Space Knights in particular. Not when they so clearly needed someone here with them.

 

110101001101

 

She’d been wanting to leave the dry-dock ever since she had seen Saber’s unconscious form carried out of the Blue Earth, but Maggie knew just as well as anyone that she had just as much work to do as any of them: it was her job to make an assessment of Pegas’ condition, so Mac could at least know where to start his repair efforts, and what systems needed the most attention on top of that. She could leave the rest of the assessments to some of the junior staff, but Maggie at least wanted to finish this part herself.

 

“Has there been any change?” Mac asked, and she turned her attention to him, grateful for his company.

 

“No,” she said. “They’ve tried several different treatments, but nothing’s worked.”

 

“Why don’t you take some time off?” Mac said, gently taking the datapad she’d been using to record the Pegas’ current condition. “I know how you feel about the lad, so why don’t you go see him?”

 

“I was planning to do that after I finished here,” she admitted, smiling slightly.

 

“Take off,” Mac said kindly, making a gentle shooing gesture. “I can finish up here.”

 

“Thanks, Mac,” she said, grinning. “You’re a prince.”

 

Making her way out of the dry-dock and away from the Blue Earth and Pegas, Maggie headed determinedly for the infirmary. Even if Saber _wasn’t_ conscious yet, she could at least spend time with him even if he wouldn’t be aware of it. Once she had finally made it to the infirmary, she was greeted by the sight of Slade startling himself out of what was clearly supposed to have been a sound sleep.

 

“It’s all right, Slade,” she heard Star saying, as Slade jerked up, blinking in obvious surprise. “You were just having a nightmare; Saber’s fine.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, nodding though he still seemed a bit off-balance. “I just, I hope he gets better soon.”

 

“Yeah,” Star said. “Me, too.”

 

“Hey,” she called softly, not having wanted to interrupt their conversation while it had been going on. “You guys think there might be room for one more?”

 

“Hey, Maggie,” Star said, turning to smile at her. “I’m glad you managed to make it out here after all this time.”

 

“Yeah, me too,” she said, smiling as she made her way into the infirmary and up to Saber’s bedside. “So, has he been out all this time?”

 

“Yeah,” Slade said, the point of his left canine tooth showing over his lip for a moment. “It’s been nearly three days since we fought Spear.”

 

“You mean, I haven’t had a shower in _three days_?” Saber asked, his eyes still closed, but with an amused smirk just starting to show on his face.

 

Slade opened his mouth for a few moments, looking as if he was going to say any number of things, before he simply sunk his face into his right palm. “How long have you been up?”

 

“Just since Maggie got here,” Saber said, his smirk widening slightly as he opened his eyes halfway. “Sorry I worried you,” he said, his tone more earnest and his expression smoothing out as he spoke.

 

“It’s all right,” Slade said, a slightly crooked smile on his face. “I’m just glad you’re up now.”

 

“Yeah, me too,” Saber said, smiling softly.

 

“I guess you’re going to want to make up for those morning showers you missed, right?” Slade asked, a slight smirk of his own pulling at his lips.

 

“How _ever_ did you guess?” Saber returned, that sly, half-lidded expression on his again.

 

“Just a hunch,” Slade said, half-closing his own eyes in clear amusement at Saber’s antics.

 

“Well, before you go and do all _that_ ,” she said, leaning down over Saber and smiling as she contemplated his probable reaction to what she was about to do. “I’d just like to give you something.”

 

Before anyone else could say anything, Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him deeply. For a few minutes, as the two of them shared the same kind of deeply intimate kiss that they had only once before, Maggie felt as if the world had narrowed down to encompass just the two of them. There was no Radam, no war, no AEM making plans that might not have been in anyone’s best interests but their own; there was just her and Saber.

 

When she pulled back, her face still feeling warm from the contact, she saw that there was a tinge of pink in Saber’s pale cheeks, as well.

 

“I just didn’t want you leaving without a good morning kiss,” she said, feeling a smile stretching her own lips to match the knowing one on Saber’s face.

 

Star laughed, and Maggie even thought she could hear Slade chuckling softly. Helping Saber back to his feet when he made it clear that he wanted to get up, Maggie slung her right arm around his waist and hugged him tightly. “It’s good to have you back, Saber.”

 

She felt more than heard his soft chuckle. “It’s good to be back, Mags.”

 

11010010010

 

As the windblown sand continued to swirl around her, causing her to pull up the hood of the cloak she had finally managed to find, Shara concentrated on the sense she had of her two older brothers. She had been forced to lock down her mind more than a few times over the course of her impromptu journey, not wanting the Teknoman who had once been their eldest brother to be able to track her.

 

Opening her eyes with a sigh, feeling the exhaustion of both her condition and her current circumstances pressing down on her like a wet, heavy quilt, Shara continued on her way. She knew that, if she just kept walking, she’d find Ness and Cain eventually. She _had_ to; too much depended on her success.

 


	21. Decision

Settling back into his room after spending so much time out of it, in more ways than one Saber reflected with some amusement, was nice. He hadn’t gone out those three days ago thinking that he’d end up staring down the business-end of a Tekno-bolt, but given everything that had happened lately, Saber honestly couldn’t have said he was surprised to end up doing just that. Annoyed as all hell, and determined to pay Spear back in full for it, yes, but not surprised in the least.

 

_(You want to join me in the gym after you get done with your shower, Saber?)_

_(Well, this is the first time I’ve ever heard_ you _make a suggestion like that, brother,)_ he said, grinning as he levered himself up and out of bed. _(What’s the occasion?)_

_(Just, meet me there, okay?)_ Slade said, after a long pause.

 

Sighing, knowing the real reason for Slade’s sudden interest in sparring and also just why his brother wasn’t particularly interested in talking about it, Saber continued with his morning routine. _(I’ll be with you in a bit, brother.)_

_(Thanks.)_

 

Smiling softly as the link between them went dormant again, Saber shucked his clothes and made his way into his attached bathroom. He still had a day to begin.

 

010100010

 

The exhaustion that she had been steadily pushing away couldn’t be denied anymore, so Shara carefully settled herself down in the sand and tried to make herself as comfortable as she could. She’d been following the mental links that connected her to Ness and Cain. In spite of the fact that she knew that neither of them were quite the older brothers that she remembered, they were still essentially human. Better them than the Radam; better them than what Conrad had become.

 

 _Just have to keep moving; I’ll find them. I have to,_ she mused, closing her eyes as she tried to settle herself down to sleep. There was still the chance of Conrad finding her while she slept, since shielding her mind from the telepathic-link that all Teknomen shared with one another was a conscious decision, but there wasn’t really any help for that. No one, not even a Teknoman, could stay awake all the time.

 

She’d learned that all too well during the long days and nights since her escape; she wasn’t about to forget it.

 

1110100101

 

He’d decided to take a more direct hand in helping Slade and Saber to deal with this new threat that the Teknoman Spear so obviously presented to them. Knowing that, even with two of them facing him, Spear had been able to not only incapacitate Slade but to render Saber unconscious for nearly three days was not a comforting thought. Nor was it a situation that he was going to let stand; there had to be an answer, and he and Tina would find it.

 

Or, if it was not able to be found, then they would _create_ an answer. Just as they had when Slade’s transformation ability had been disabled by that other Teknoman, Gunnar.

 

“This technology is so alien to our computers,” Tina muttered, seemingly to herself. “They’re not even registering the fact that there _is_ a problem, much less how to fix it.”

 

“Be patient, Tina,” he advised, continuing his own efforts to find the answer to the problem of Teknoman Spear. “The answer is here, in these schematics. We just have to find it.”

 

However, it was beginning to become clear that, as they had done once before, the Space Knights would have to create their own solution to the threat of Teknoman Spear.

 

10100101001

 

Staring at the blasted, scorched, battered form of Pegas, Maggie couldn’t help but remember watching Slade and Saber be carried unconscious from the Blue Earth. Sure, it was a sight that she’d seen on several occasions, but she could also clearly remember the reports of Saber’s condition; she could remember the way he had lain so still, for the two and a half days he’d been sleeping the sleep of the grievously injured. And now, now she was helping to fix up Pegas so that the twins could leap back into battle with the same creep who’d injured them so badly in the first place.

 

It wasn’t something she liked to think about, but she couldn’t very well avoid it, not when she was working on the very mech that Slade used to transform. Everyone knew that, when Slade transformed, Saber would always be right there with him. Barring the occasional bout of unconsciousness, of course.

 

“Hey, Maggie, give me a hand.”

 

“Oh, what’s the use, Mac?” she asked, knowing that it was likely a rhetorical question; all of the mechanics had jobs to do. And there _was_ the invasion to consider, beyond that. “Why are we doing this?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The last time those three fought nearly turned out to be the end of our boys,” she said, remembering Saber’s still form in the medical-bed, and the way Slade had stayed with him for the two and a half days he’d been convalescing. “Sending them out again would be like sending them on a suicide mission.”

 

“Next time will be different,” Mac said; the confidence in his voice prompted her to look up at him, surprised.

 

“Easy for you to say,” she retorted, not really seeing the reason for Mac’s new confidence. “How can you be sure of that?”

 

“The top minds are working on the problem right now,” he said.

 

“What? Where? Who?” she asked, aware she was speaking in sentence fragments, but not quite sure what actual questions to ask.

 

“Well, the Commander, for one,” he said simply.

 

“Commander Jamison?” she echoed; the fact that the Commander himself had taken an interest in the situation had both good and bad implications.

 

On the one hand, the Commander _was_ one of the top minds in their organization, but the fact that he was personally involving himself also meant that things were more serious than she’d thought. And she’d already known that they were fairly serious.

 

“See, there’s hope,” Mac said.

 

“Yeah, I guess,” she said; folding her arms and staring at Pegas.

 

There was no avoiding it, anymore; she had to get back to work on Pegas, even though she wasn’t particularly happy about the idea of sending Slade and Saber back into battle with Spear. He’d nearly killed them on several different occasions, and she wasn’t particularly happy about sending them off to face that brutal psychopath again. Still, she didn’t think that anyone _could_ be particularly happy, under the circumstances.

 

1101010010

 

Ducking a high-kick from Saber, Slade crouched and tried to tag his younger twin in the gut. Then, he was forced to dodge backwards as Saber flipped himself into a handstand and nearly slammed his feet into Slade’s chin.

 

“Wow, what are you Saber, part circus acrobat?” he heard Ringo laugh; Saber laughed right along with him.

 

“Something like that,” Saber said, and Slade could see his younger twin’s smirk, upside-down though it still was.

 

He remembered, for a few moments, Grant Goddard making those same kind of comments. Blinking as Saber flipped back to his feet, Slade forced those thoughts from his mind; now wasn’t the time to think about the past. Really, it never would be again; the past was gone, and nothing was going to bring it back. The sound of light footsteps, the same kind that he’d heard so many times before, brought Slade’s attention back to the present again.

 

“Slade, you and Saber have been at this for hours,” Star said, and he paused for a moment to look over at her. “Don’t either of you ever rest?”

 

Sighing briefly, knowing that Star wasn’t likely to respond very well to what he was trying to do, Slade shoved that out of his mind and tried to concentrate on what he was doing.

 

Ringo was the one who spoke, in the end. “They haven’t been doing much of that; Slade says he has nightmares whenever he sleeps.”

 

“What about you, Saber?” she asked. “You’re not having nightmares, too, are you?”

 

“No, but _someone_ has to keep my lunkhead of a brother from skipping meals, or working himself into a stupor.” _(Again.)_

 

Stifling a chuckle of his own, Slade found himself remembering the one time – and it _had_ only been one time; whatever else his younger twin might be inclined to say about him, he wasn’t stupid – he’d put in too much time in the gym, and then in the dojo with Mr. Goddard, and ended up having the muscles in his legs spasm and cramp up so badly that he couldn’t even _bend_ any one of the three joints below his waist. Saber had taken care of him then, too.

 

He’d always be grateful to Saber for looking out for him, the way he seemed determined to keep doing; they would need each other more than ever, now.

 

“That’s good to hear; I wouldn’t want Slade doing anything permanent to that body of his,” Star paused for a moment, seeming to trip over her own tongue. “Not that you shouldn’t stop to take care of _yourself_ , Saber _,_ I mean, but…”

 

“I think you should quit while you’re ahead, Star,” he heard Ringo say, obviously about as amused as Saber was by what she’d just said.

 

Ringo began to leave the room, still chuckling, and as he took his stance again he heard the man crashing headlong into Maggie. Saber’s stance loosened up a bit as his younger twin laughed at the scene, and Slade looked back just as Ringo yelled in obvious pain.

 

“Well, did any of you hear the news, yet?” Maggie asked, standing between him and Saber and putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Do you have any idea what Commander Jamison’s up to?”

 

“We haven’t spoken to the Commander since yesterday,” Star said.

 

“It sounds like _you_ might know something about that, though,” Saber said, his eyes half-closing in a knowing expression. “Care to share with the rest of us, Mags?”

 

“For a cutie like _you_? Anything,” Maggie said, winking at Saber as his younger twin grinned back at her. “He’s building a brand-new, enhanced weapons-system for Pegas; he’s scrapping the epaulet-mounted missile launchers and replacing them with a whole new generation of weaponry. We’re talking anti-matter warheads, here. I think he’s even working on a way to combine your Tekno-bolts so they’ll do more damage.”

 

“You’re sure about that?” he asked, putting his own hand on Maggie’s shoulder so he could get her attention more quickly.

 

“Definitely; that jerk Spear won’t know what hit him.”

 

“That’s great,” Saber said, grinning in that fierce way he did when something was going well for them; Slade could feel the same kind of grin pulling at his own lips. “Just what I wanted to hear.”

 

“I suppose that _is_ a good thing,” Star said, though she didn’t sound particularly pleased about the idea.

 

“ _You_ certainly don’t sound very happy about it,” Maggie said, just before either he or Saber could make any kind of comment; or not.

 

“No; it’s just… Ringo, wait!” she called, turning and heading out to catch up with the man in question.

 

“What’s with her?” Maggie wondered aloud.

 

“Dunno,” he said; Star certainly hadn’t been given any reasons to worry about Spear’s well-being, especially given the way she had reacted to him in the church and the fact that he had tried to kill her not even half an hour later. Deciding to drop the matter, since it wasn’t particularly pressing in light of the fact that Spear was still out there and likely planning his next attack, Slade turned his attention back to the present; back to Saber and their sparring session. “All right, enough of that; what’s the current score, Saber?”

 

“A thousand to one, my favor,” Saber said, his expression almost perfectly serious; only Maggie’s laughter and the slightest twitch of his younger twin’s lips betrayed Saber’s façade.

 

“Wiseass,” he deadpanned, half-closing his eyes in amused annoyance.

 

10100100111

 

Walking out of the gym, having heard all he could stand of Maggie’s enthusiasm – not that he begrudged either of the Wonder Twins their desire to get back at Spear for what he’d done – Ringo clenched his teeth in a brief effort not to grind them together. He’d tried to break himself of that habit, ever since he’d started noticing his jaw getting sore when he was particularly angry.

 

“What is it?” he heard Star ask.

 

“All anyone seems to care about is fixing them up and sending them right back out again,” he said, after loosening his jaw enough that he could actually make himself understood. “I used to think that Commander Jamison was an okay guy, but not now. He’s treating Slade and Saber like they’re just a pair of machine components, not like they’re people.”

 

Standing in Comm. One, Ringo decided that he would speak to the Commander himself about how the man was treating the twins. At the very least, it’d help him to understand just what the man thought he was doing; and, just how he could help their boys cope, if that turned out to be necessary.

 

“Hey Kitty, is the Chief around?” he asked the woman in charge of inter-base communications for this shift.

 

“I’m afraid Commander Jamison isn’t here now.”

 

“Is he in his quarters?” he asked, surprised at the suggestion that the Commander _wasn’t_ hard at work.

 

“I’ve tried there, but he doesn’t respond,” the woman said, sounding almost as calm as the Commander himself; Ringo wasn’t particularly pleased with the comparison at the moment.

 

“Where the heck _is_ he?” he wondered aloud.

 

It wasn’t like the Commander to be so completely unreachable like this; he’d have thought the man would have been _somewhere_ close by, considering how interested he obviously was in getting the Wonder Twins back into combat as soon as he could. Not that he was particularly _concerned_ about the man, not when it was blatantly obvious that the only thing the Commander really cared about was being able to toss Slade and Saber back into the meat grinder ASAP.

 

His friends deserved better than that.

 

1110100101

 

The grating sound of the computer’s error alarms, combined with the white words flashing on the red background, let Jamison know that he had stumbled upon yet another solution that was not going to pan out.

 

“Our problem is this: the basic structure of a single Teknoman’s quantum-energy weapons-system is not strong enough to support the launching of anti-matter warheads. It’s rather like trying to turn an old carbine rifle into a laser-cannon. At present, both Slade _and_ Saber would need to be present for the system to be effective,” he paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes in contemplation; he was not willing to leave either of those young men defenseless against this new threat posed by the Teknoman Spear, particularly considering the fact that the Radam seemed to concentrate their efforts on splitting the twins’ focus and separating them from one another. No, Slade and Saber would need all the advantages he could provide. “We’ve got to find a way to heighten the capacity of its detonators.”

 

“Maybe it would be easier if we just designed a whole new detonation-system, Commander,” Tina said.

 

Nodding slightly, Jamison narrowed his eyes in thought. “Yes, maybe so.”

 

There were always other matters that one had to consider when they were working with unfamiliar technology, and particularly when that technology was so alien as the Tekno-Power System had proven itself to be.

 

1010100101

 

The heat of the day seemed to suck all of the moisture out of her body even through the dark brownish cloak that she had found to ward off the sunlight, and for a moment there was nothing that Shara wouldn’t have done for a large, cold glass of water. _With some nice, big ice cubes, and maybe even a parasol and some maraschino cherries for flavor,_ she mused, toying with the idea for a few moments.

 

She’d never really understood how anyone could like having lemon slices in their water; she’d never really liked lemonade, no matter how much sugar she had tried adding to it. Biting down on her lower lip to bring her attention back to the present, Shara focused on the mental link that she shared with Ness and Cain. It was getting steadily stronger as she continued to move, so Shara at least knew that she was on the right track.

 

Still, she would have liked to know how far she had left to go; the endless stretch of rolling dunes on all sides of her, dunes that ranged from cold enough that she had to bury herself in them to sleep at night to so hot that she felt like she was roasting the top layers of skin off her feet when she walked over them during the day, made it all but impossible to keep track of her progress in any real way. Combined with the hunger that she now felt gnawing almost constantly at her, even in spite of the fact that she had only transformed to fly back down to Earth and find the last of her family – hunger that had driven her to eat things that she never would have considered ingesting before – and Shara was hoping more than ever to be able to find _someone_ in this endless desert.

 

She’d read that there were people who lived out in the desert, and while she had once thought that they were all varying degrees of crazy, she was hoping to run across at least a few of them.

 

Finally, her strength temporarily at an end and her feet feeling like they had been repeatedly set on fire, Shara fell to her knees and then collapsed to the still-hot sand. _At least I’m closer; I know that much. I just have to keep going._ For a moment, as she stared at the seemingly-endless expanse of desert that she still had to cross, Shara felt for a moment the same, crushing despair that she had when she had seen Sam for the last time. _Still, it’s not much of a homecoming._

 

0001000111

 

With his energy fully replenished, after having spent so much time searching for his wayward sister that he had exhausted almost all of his reserves and been forced to return to the Space Ring, Spear scanned the wide expanse of desert beneath him, while at the same time searching for Shara through their telepathic link. The sense he had of his sister’s mind was far weaker than it had been when he’d left for the Space Ring, but that was only to be expected considering what she had done in the first place.

 

He knew, now, why Shara thought she had to leave: she was still thinking like a human, just like Ness and Cain. For a few moments, Spear considered letting her make contact with their wayward brothers so that he could at least know where all of them were, and so that he would be better able to gather the three of them – well, four counting that woman, Star – up and bring them back to Lord Darkon in one, fell swoop. Then, he remembered the power that Ness and Cain could bring to a fight, both separately and together – the way they so obviously preferred – and decided that he would make a concerted effort to head Shara off before she met up with Ness, Cain, and those humans they were working with.

 

Three-to-one odds could be rather troublesome, even to a Teknoman; but, more important to Spear was the fact that Shara’s transformation would extract a high price from his little sister’s central nervous system every time she used it. He was not about to let his little sister – the only sister he had – suffer from that. He would take her back to Lord Darkon, so that he could plead her case before the Warlord and thus obtain whatever help he could for her.

 

He wouldn’t allow himself to think of any alternatives; he _would_ find a way to help Shara, to bring Ness, Cain, and Star into Lord Darkon’s fold; his family _would_ be complete again.

 

Turning as a strange sound, sounds rather, drifted to him on the wind, Spear raised an eyebrow at the sight that was presented to him. _Nomads?_ He narrowed his eyes, considering the humans he was observing and what their presence might mean. _I’ve read about them; they truly seem to have adapted themselves perfectly to this harsh environment. Perhaps, during the initial stages of Radam colonization, they will be able to survive mostly unchanged. As far as lifestyles go, anyway._

 

After all, once the teknoplants on this planet began to bloom, the environment of the planet would be altered to suit them while the human race was being prepared to take their place with the other races within the Radam Empire. But, after that, the biosphere would be allowed to recover, so as to support the humans who had survived the transformation.

 

Dismissing his moment of contemplation, Spear turned his attention back to the matter of Shara; her mental signature had weakened again, likely meaning that she had fallen asleep again. She wouldn’t be moving anymore, and she would no longer be able to block him from sensing her, so it would be somewhat easier for him to find her. He couldn’t help but to smile softly in relief; he would be able to bring Shara home soon.

 

He _would_ find a way to bring his family back together.

 

1101001001

 

It wasn’t something he saw everyday, so that was the first thing that drew his attention; it wasn’t just a dune, he knew that since it was a different color than any of them, but it also looked like some kind of cloth. So that meant that it was probably a person!

 

Grandfather called his name, just as he jumped down from the camel they had both been riding and went running up to the person that was lying on the ground. Pulling up the hood of the cloak, he found that the person under it was young. Well, they were a bit older than he was, but maybe he’d actually have someone close to his age to talk to!

 

“Achmed, what are you-” Grandfather demanded, pausing as he looked down at the person sleeping in the sand. “Malik, Abbas, come here at once.”

 

“Yes, sir,” the two of them responded at once, coming over to the sleeping person and starting to lift them up.

 

He watched as his two brothers picked the new person and carried them over to the camel that he and Grandfather had been riding on. Grandfather helped him back up once he’d gotten that other person settled, and Achmed tried not to fidget too much. He really wondered who they were, and what they had been doing out in the desert. He’d find out later, though; Grandfather was going to bring them home, and then he would get the chance to talk to them all he wanted!

 

101010010011

 

The first thing she was truly aware of feeling was the sensation of something wet on her face, almost like the time she had been lying under the old tree in their family’s front yard while a light rain had been falling; the broad leaves had dripped water on her face in just the same way as whatever it was that was dripping on her face now. Someone rubbed a handful of water on her face, making her shiver slightly at the change in temperature. Opening her eyes slowly, Shara found that she was surrounded by people in clothes that she had only seen before in pictures.

 

 _Nomads,_ she mused, eagerly drinking from the water-satchel that the eldest of them was offering her. Maybe a little _too_ eagerly.

 

“Drink it more slowly; you’re not going anywhere,” he said. She resisted the urge to tell him just how wrong he was, since he had shown her such kindness. Taking his advice, she finally managed to slake her burning thirst. “Are you feeling better?”

 

“Yes, thank you,” she said, laying back down to conserve her limited strength and stamina. She also concentrated on rebuilding the mental walls that she had been forced to relax when she had fallen unconscious; she didn’t want Conrad tracking her down _here_ , of all places. “You’re very kind.”

 

“Only crazy people try crossing the desert on foot,” the youngest of the nomads in the tent – a boy even younger than Sam, but with enough of a superficial resemblance to the youngest of her former family members to both make her slightly uncomfortable, and to give Shara the urge, however small she was trying to make it, to protect this boy where she hadn’t been able to protect her younger brother – said, blinking at her. “Are _you_ a crazy person?”

 

It wasn’t something that Sam would have asked, more out of a sense of politeness than the shyness that most people seemed to ascribe to him; Sam had always been polite, and he was more quiet and observant than shy, really. Blinking, Shara forced her attention back to the present. She wouldn’t ever be seeing Sam again, if she was lucky, so it was best to forget about her younger brother.

 

Just forget about the people she couldn’t save, and focus on getting to Ness and Cain so she could help them save everyone else.

 

“You’re from… some other place, aren’t you?”

 

“That’s enough of your questions, Achmed,” the old man said, and Shara was thankful for the interruption even if he _was_ a bit brusque. “She must rest now.”

 

“All right, grandfather,” the little boy, Achmed, said, as he turned and raced out of the tent, white robes fluttering behind him.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, knowing that people like this lived on the edge of their supplies already; with a Teknoman’s hyper-accelerated metabolism, she would be straining their already-limited supplies of food and water just by staying here. Even if she _didn’t_ transform. “I mean, I’m sorry for being a burden to you.”

 

Shara didn’t know just what she could have done differently, since she had been at the limits of her strength when she had collapsed, and there was no way that she was ever just going to _let_ Conrad catch up to her; not with what she knew had happened to her eldest brother. Not with what she knew he’d be trying to do to her if she ever let him find her. Letting herself relax for a moment, Shara checked the mental walls that she had built to keep Conrad from being able to track her.

 

A sudden shout, coming from outside, distracted Shara before she could properly assess the state of the mental defenses that she had been forced to set up for herself.

 

The old man was the first one out of the tent, which she had already been expecting since it sounded like the person in danger – whatever danger could threaten people this far out in the desert… something that Shara devoutly hoped was _not_ the danger that she had been fleeing from, since it would be difficult to forgive herself if she brought Conrad down on people who had shown her nothing but kindness, people who would have no chance at driving off the creature her eldest brother had become – was his grandson. It was nice, to see someone so concerned about their family, especially without the ulterior motives that Conrad had now.

 

Racing out after the old man, the pain of the hot sand on her feet forgotten in the wake of the unpleasant familiarity that she was suddenly aware of – it wasn’t Conrad, but for all that it still wasn’t good – Shara soon found herself nearly at the forefront of the group of people who were all staring down at the swiftly-spreading sinkhole that had engulfed Achmed and swept him down to the bottom of the in-falling sand. Far worse, though not as bad as it could have been under the circumstances, was the sense she was getting of what was _under_ all of that shifting sand.

 

None of the people around her, worried as they so clearly were for Achmed given what was happening, had the kind of power she did; none of them could make the kind of difference in this situation that she could. The problem was that if she acted, here and now, in the only way that she would be _able_ to make a difference, she would inevitably be drawing Conrad’s attention back to her. She wouldn’t be able to help it: the transformation would be a beacon to any Teknoman close enough to sense it, and there was really only one person close enough _to_ do that right now.

 

Still, she couldn’t just leave him, a little boy even younger than Sam, to be killed by the Spider-crab that she could so clearly sense underneath the sands; not and still call herself a human being. In the end, there was really only one choice that she could make; only one that she could live with.

 

“Tekno-power!” she shouted, teknocrystal held high above her head.

 

The energies of her transformation rushed through her, washing away the hunger and thirst that she had been suffering from while she had been making her way across the desert; Shara knew better than to think it was anything more than the most temporary of reprieves. Her transformation was going to be burning up energy the longer she remained in it, and couple that with the fact that she was going to be fighting – even if it _was_ only a single Spider-crab –  that would cause her to lose energy even faster. She would have to do this quickly, for both her sake and that of the Nomads she was trying to protect.

 

Jumping high into the air with a burst from her thrusters, Shara flung out her laser-wire, aiming for Achmed’s wrist so she would be able to pull him free of the sinkhole that the Spider-crab was carving out even as they all watched.

 

“Don’t panic,” she called down to him, even though she could clearly see that his eyes were sinking closed. “I’ve got you!”

 

Diving through the air, she pulled Achmed free of the sand still falling to the bottom of the pit, and slung him over her left shoulder in a fireman’s carry. A sudden spike of pain, burning from the inside-out in a grotesque parody of the way her transformation had felt, caused Shara to stumble and fall onto her back. The Spider-crab, clearly unwilling to give up its prey, burst free from the sand, looming over the Nomads who had been kind enough to take her in when she had collapsed in the sand after running out of energy.

 

Knowing that the Spider-crabs always exploded violently when they were killed – one last, unpleasant surprise that had been built into them by the Radam – Shara fired her laser-grappling line, wrapping it around the Spider-crab’s right foreleg, and pulled the horrible creature back into the sinkhole that it had crawled out of. Pulling her laser-grappling line in as fast as she could, Shara managed to brutally fold the Spider-crab in half. It exploded just after that, scattering its vaporized remains over the desert, and Shara allowed herself to relax.

 

Things weren’t finished, of course – she still had to find Ness and Cain, and tell them what had happened after Father had freed the two of them from the Radam – but at least Shara could say that she had managed to save _some_ people from becoming the latest victims of the invasion.

 

Making her way out of the dust-cloud that had been thrown up by the explosion, Shara scanned the crowd to see if anyone had been hurt by the attack. All of them looked fine, though they also looked scared by what had almost happened. She couldn’t really blame them; Spider-crabs were _meant_ to be scary; they were the shock-troops of the Radam Empire, designed not only to sow chaos and destruction wherever they went, but to break a population’s will to fight.

 

And, that wasn’t even _mentioning_ their third stage of metamorphosis: becoming yet another one of those awful spoor-trees.

 

“Don’t be afraid,” she said gently, trying to project the calm these people so clearly needed with her voice. “You’re safe now.”

 

The little boy, Achmed, the one who had reminded her of Sam when the two of them had seen each other for the first time in his grandfather’s tent, was huddling in the arms of an older boy; someone who looked like he could easily have been the same age as Ness and Cain. But, when Shara looked into their eyes, and more than that when she saw the way Achmed’s eyes widened as he stared at her, she began to realize that these people – people that she had just saved – weren’t so much afraid of the Spider-crab as they were afraid of _her_.

 

“Stay away!” Achmed shouted, burying his face in the chest of the older boy who had been standing with him; the one who thought he had _to_ _protect Achmed from her_.

 

“It’s me,” she said, in spite of the fact that she doubted it would matter to anyone at this point; from their expressions, they had already made up their minds about her at this point.

 

“Look at its face, it’s hands,” one of the older men, one standing at the back of the group and staring at her with a clear expression of horror on his face. “It walks on cloven hooves! It’s a monster! A devil!”

 

The pain from her transformation spiked again, burning her from the inside out and feeling all the more horrible for the fact that she had expended so much energy wearing her armor. Gulping air into her burning lungs as fast as she could take it in without choking, Shara fell to her knees and screamed. Nothing else existed except for the pain, no time passed; and so, even though she didn’t like to think about the Nomads and the way they had been so cruel to her after she had risked herself to save them, she held that in her mind in an effort to keep herself from going insane from the pain.

 

Screaming into the desert sky, Shara could only hope that Conrad wouldn’t be able to track her down through the link all of them shared; she could only hope that, whatever he was doing, the creature that had once been her older brother would be drawn off. Somehow, someway.

 

11010100101

 

He’d been unable to find even a trace of Shara, even in spite of having searched the desert until his energy-reserves had come perilously close to running out a second time, and so Lord Darkon had told him in no uncertain terms that he was to search out Ness and Cain, and whatever their allies that had gathered at their side; to find them, and to deal with them before Shara could join up with them.

 

That was how he found himself staring down at the headquarters of the Allied Earth Military, watching as the humans scurried around – antlike in their persistence, and in the end nearly as insignificant in the level of threat they posed to the Radam Empire – in an attempt to rebuild their facility after it had been devastated by the Spider-crabs that Lord Darkon had dispatched. _I suppose that one_ could _come to respect their persistence, annoying as it is at times._ Still, he had work to do; work that did _not_ involve watching the efforts of his enemies – pitiful and ultimately futile as they were – to recover from their losses.

 

Making his way down from the cliff he had paused atop, Spear chose a path that any human would have been hard-pressed to follow him down; both to make certain that no human _could_ have tried to follow him, and just to say that he had.

 

Once he stood back on level ground, Spear made his way past the humans going about their meaningless and ultimately futile repair work, by the rather simple expedient of moving when none of them were looking his way, staying high and out of sight for as long as the terrain would permit such an action, and then ducking into an unwatched area so that he could slip into the building in the breathless moments between two patrols.

 

Taking a moment to compose himself, since it wouldn’t do to appear as if he had been in a hurry to enter this place; civilians were not entirely welcome in places such as this, and for all of his power, that was what he was going to have to appear to be, if he was going to be able to find Ness and Cain without alerting the AEM to his presence.

 

Subtly inserting himself into the back of a group of humans, Spear followed them as they made their way deeper into the facility.

 

As the small group dispersed slowly into the facility, Spear scanned the corridor in front of him, looking for a human who seemed as if they would be amenable to helping him. He soon found what he was looking for: a young human – older than Sam, but still seeming younger than Ness and Cain; about sixteen, if Spear was any judge – standing in the corridor just ahead of him. Moving forward, Spear paced himself so that he would not appear too intimidating; his purpose here was to find out just what branch of the humans’ military that his misguided younger brothers had associated themselves with.

 

He could deal with this human, and all of the others like him, when Lord Darkon finally gave him the order to destroy this facility once and for all.

 

“Hey, are you lost?” the human asked, and for a moment, when he saw the boy’s earnest, concerned face, Spear was reminded of Sam.

 

“I’m actually looking for someone. Well, two people, honestly,” he said, making his tone gentle; human this boy may have been, but there was no call to be rude to someone who could offer him assistance in this mission.

 

“Oh, and you think they work here?” the boy asked, his expression becoming more curious than eager.

 

“I think they work for _some_ branch of this organization, yes,” Spear said, left hand reaching into the left pocket of his jacket to fetch the photograph that he had brought with him from the Argos; both for just this kind of situation, and for more personal reasons, as well. “Here; these are my younger brothers.” Unfolding the photograph and showing it to the young human produced the expected recognition.

 

“Wow!” the young human exclaimed, dark gray eyes darting from Spear’s face to the photograph that he held out. “You mean, you’re actually _related_ to… well, I guess I should have noticed the family resemblance sooner.”

 

“You don’t need to apologize; I’ve been told that I resemble my father more than my brothers.” It was true, and while it had once been alternately a source of pride as well as exasperation for him, Spear didn’t enjoy thinking about that fact anymore. The human named Ulysses Carter was long dead, and Spear was glad to be rid of him.

 

Still, the fact that he had been left to clean up that man’s mess was infuriating to him when he thought of it; biting down on his anger, Spear focused on his mission. Nothing would be solved if he allowed himself to become emotional.

 

“Oh, well I guess that makes sense,” the boy said. “Still, I can’t believe I’m actually meeting someone who’s related to _the_ Slade and Saber; the Space Knights’ finest.”

 

“Space Knights?” he echoed, mildly confused by the term; he’d arrived here in search of his younger brothers, but he’d thought to find them working with the Allied Earth Military.

 

“Yeah; those two have been working with the Space Knights ever since they showed up,” the young man said; curiosity piqued, Spear decided to let the human talk. “No one really knew what to make of them, at first, but when the chips were down, they really came through for us. You mean you really don’t know about them?”

 

“I’ve been… somewhat out of touch with the world at large, you might say,” Spear said, as he paused for a moment to watch a pair of soldiers pass them on their way to some unknown destination.

 

“You were hiding from the Radam?” the young human asked.

 

“Something like that,” he said.

 

“What about your father?” the human paused for a moment, seeming embarrassed. “I mean, your guys’ father. Where’s he?”

 

“He died before the invasion,” Spear said flatly, trying not to think of Ulysses Carter and all the trouble he had caused; he could ill afford displays of negative emotions in this place.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the young human said, sounding abashed. “I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories for you, sir.”

 

“It’s all right,” Spear said, deciding to give the human the benefit of the doubt; he was helpful enough to be tolerable in spite of the fact that he was still, in the end, a mere human. “I don’t really think about it. Tell me more about the Space Knights; I’d like to know what my younger brothers have been doing lately.”

 

“Well, there’s not really much more I _can_ tell you, sir,” the young human said, seeming sheepish. “I’m only a cadet, you see. I joined up with the AEM mostly because of them.”

 

“It’s nice to know that my brothers have managed to inspire you,” Spear lied, folding his arms and resisting the urge to narrow his eyes. “Do you think you could take me to them?”

 

“Well, not _me_ … but, I think I could help you find someone who can,” the young human said, hand on his chin in a thoughtful pose. “If you’ll follow me?”

 

“Very well,” Spear said, falling into step with the young human and allowing him to lead the two of them deeper into the complex. “Thank you, for helping me with this; I don’t know how I would have been able to find my younger brothers, otherwise.”

 

“Don’t mention it,” the young human said, sounding cheerful but subdued; as if he was thinking about something terrible, but trying to be happy in spite of that. “A lot of people end up separated from their families in… all this, but if I can help even _one_ person to find people that they care about, then I’ll be satisfied.”

 

“That’s a good policy,” he said, smiling softly; this human was – like Star – someone he could tolerate, and one that he knew would benefit from joining Lord Darkon’s forces.

 

Still, he was not so naïve as to think that he could preserve the life of this particular human; best to concentrate on what he could preserve. Such as the lives of his younger brothers.

 

The two of them had soon exited the facility, and Spear found himself staring at rows upon rows of planes. Making a mental note to suggest to Lord Darkon that they send Spider-crabs to deal with them, Spear turned his attention back to the young human who had been assisting him. Said human was speaking to an older human, this one wearing something that Spear could easily guess was some kind of uniform.

 

Making his way over to the two of them, Spear stopped just behind the young human, watching the older human – older even than him, Spear realized – as he and the young cadet spoke with each other.

 

“So, you see, sir, he’s been trying to find the rest of his family,” the cadet said, clearly finishing a longer conversation. “Do you think you could take him to the Space Knight Command Center, Captain?”

 

“It’s highly irregular but since he _is_ immediate family, I suppose they would be willing to make an exception, even under the circumstances.”

 

“Great!” the cadet exclaimed, turning back to speak to Spear. “Here’s your ride, sir.”

 

“Thank you,” he said, gently clapping the young cadet on the right shoulder. “You’ve been a great help to me.”

 

“Of course; I mean, I wouldn’t wish what happened to you and your family on _anyone_ ,” the cadet said earnestly. Spear smiled softly; something like that could easily have a double meaning. “I’m sure Slade and Saber will be happy to see you.”

 

“Yes,” he said, in spite of the fact that he knew that such was far from the case at the moment; until he was able to bring his younger brothers and that woman Star back to Lord Darkon’s ship, so that his younger brothers could complete their transformations and Star could begin her own, his family would never truly be whole.

 

“Come along then, sir,” the pilot – a Captain, Spear recalled – said, beckoning him forward as the cadet left. “I’ll help you get settled in.”

 

“Thank you for your consideration, Captain,” he said; the man was polite enough, for a human.

 

It was almost a shame that he would have to die, but orders were orders; and Spear knew his duty.

 

110100101011

 

“So, does anyone have a clue where Commander Jamison’s hidden himself?” he demanded, looking out over all of his fellow Space Knights; they’d all gathered together in Comm. One when it had become completely obvious that no one really knew where their illusive commanding officer had had gotten himself off to.

 

“Don’t look at me, _I_ don’t know,” Maggie said, arms folded over her chest. “Mac, _you_ must have some idea.”

 

“No,” the rotund head-mechanic, sitting in one of the room’s only chairs, said. “He didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask him.”

 

Slade and Saber – the former leaning lightly against the monitoring console, and the latter balanced on his left foot as he leaned his right against the base of the console itself – gave each other one of their infamous ‘twin’ looks. Saber shrugged, and Slade shook his head slightly. For a few seconds, Ringo wondered if the two of them had been using that selective telepathy of theirs, but since he probably wasn’t going to find that out anytime – soon or otherwise – he decided to concentrate on what was actually important to the situation.

 

Namely, finding out just what their illustrious Commander thought he was doing. “So what’s the big deal that he’s got to keep us all in the dark?” he demanded, his fist almost unconsciously clenching. “Doesn’t he trust us anymore?”

 

“Cool your jets, Ringo,” Mac said, sounding just as calm as the Commander did under these kinds of circumstances; Ringo wasn’t too pleased with the comparison. “He’ll let us know when there’s something to know.”

 

“So, meanwhile we just twiddle our thumbs?” he shot back, annoyed.

 

“We did it! We designed a launcher that’ll support the warheads!” Tina exclaimed, bursting into the room before anyone else could say a single word. “Now, all we’ve got to do is build it!” The youngest of the Space Knights stopped just before she would have plowed into their head technical specialist. “It’s all there, Maggie!”

 

“Terrific,” he muttered.

 

“Yeah? Really?” she asked, with far more enthusiasm than he would have had; especially considering the way she seemed to have a thing for Saber. “Wonderful!” she turned to look at the twins, still wearing that happy grin of hers. The way she wrapped her left arm around Saber’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss while still holding up the external hard drive Tina’d given her in her opposite hand, made Ringo wonder if anyone but him actually _understood_ the wide, deep disconnect between caring about someone the way it was starting to look like Maggie cared about Saber, and all but sending them to their death the way the Commander seemed to be trying to do. “You guys hear that? Antimatter warheads! The _next_ time you two get into a fight with Spear, it’ll be no contest!”

 

Judging by the slight twitch of his mouth, and the all the time that Ringo had spent working with the kid, Saber was holding back sarcastic commentary by sheer force of will. It would probably have been better if he didn’t, though; god knew that most of the people around _here_ could use the wakeup call.

 

“Maggie? Mac? Get to work,” the Commander said, calm as usual; there were times when Ringo honestly hated that cold-blooded reserve of his.

 

Maggie and Mac were off and running after a quick acknowledgement, Maggie even laughingly challenging Mac to a race, and leaving the rest of them with the Commander. No one else seemed like they were about to say anything; not even Saber, and _he_ was one of the ones whose life was on the line, in the end. Ringo didn’t know just what the kid’s deal was, but _he_ wasn’t just going to let this crap stand.

 

Commanding officer or not, no one had the right to just toss another person into the meat-grinder; no matter how powerful they – or even the people in question – were.

 

“Commander, with all due respect,” he began, pausing for a moment as Jamison’s wine-red eyes turned to regard him. “Don’t you think we’re being a little impersonal about this? I mean, Slade and Saber aren’t machines. They’re more than just some pile of spare parts, they’re putting their _lives_ on the line. And that’s not just some nameless alien they’re fighting out there, it’s their older brother. Or don’t you _care_ about that?”

 

It wasn’t the Commander who answered him, though.

 

“That’s enough! You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Tina shouted, standing in front of Jamison, spreading her arms slightly; it was like she thought he was going to haul off and deck the guy. And sure, the thought _had_ crossed his mind for about a half a second or so, but he wasn’t about to go doing stupid things just because he was angry. “Ringo, you couldn’t be more wrong about the Commander; show me another commanding officer who thinks as much about the health and well-being of his crew as _he_ does.”

 

“Calm down, Tina,” he said, not particularly wanting to get into an argument with _her_. “All I’m saying is-”

 

“I don’t wanna hear it,” she snapped, sounding sharp without – quite – shouting. “Nobody’s safe in wartime; all we can do is give each other as much protection as possible. _That’s_ why we built Pegas’ new weapons-systems: so Slade and Saber can be ready the next time they meet that “loving brother” of theirs. In times like these, we have to give up things; maybe even a little of our humanity. Why don’t you ask Commander Jamison what _he’s_ had to give up, just to keep Slade and Saber here as part of the team?”

 

 _That_ hadn’t been something he’d been expecting to hear; and he wasn’t the only one, judging from the surprised noises coming from everyone else in the room.

 

“Sir, tell us,” Star said.

 

“As you know, Allied Military Command has wanted their own Teknomen for some time,” Jamison said, his tone only slightly more emotional than he ever did. “I resisted for as long as I could, but it soon became apparent that both Slade and Saber would be taken away from us if I didn’t give them at least enough data to construct their own Tekno-suits. I didn’t _want_ to do it; Gault has too much power as it is. But it was hardly as personal a sacrifice as Tina makes it out to be.”

 

“It could have meant the loss of his command,” Tina said, stating a fact that Ringo was already uncomfortably aware of; it looked like he’d misjudged the Commander this time. Jamison really _wasn’t_ as cold-blooded as he’d been acting. “But he risked it all to keep them both here with us.”

 

He felt like a heel; just like he’d felt back when those two crazy kids of theirs had first joined up, and he’d been such a complete and utter ass to Slade when Saber had ended up in the infirmary with a cracked skull. In his more reflective moments, those times when he could stand to think about the early days and what his relationship with the twins had been like, he reflected that it had probably been a very good thing that _Star_ hadn’t been the one injured during their journey back to Earth. Who _knew_ what he would have done, given the way he’d felt about those kids back then; Ringo didn’t like thinking about those times, but he really doubted that anything good would have come out of _that_.

 

“Commander, I’m sorry,” he said.

 

“We had no idea, sir,” Star said, sounding about as sorry as he felt for jumping to conclusions the way he had.

 

“Commander, I- I don’t know what to say,” Slade said, standing up from his place on the console.

 

“I think, what my lunkhead brother is _trying_ to say, is thank you,” Saber said, standing up and slinging his left arm around Slade’s shoulders as he gave his twin a light shaking.

 

Slade laughed softly, though he sounded more rueful than amused, really. “Yeah. Thank you, Commander; for all that you’ve done for us.”

 

The Commander nodded, but before another conversation could even get started, the Command Center’s proximity alarm went off.

 

“Proximity alert?” he muttered, surprised; they hadn’t been notified of any incoming personnel or anything like that. “What’s going on?”

 

“Pinger at eight o’clock; switching to visual,” Tina reported, professional as she ever was.

 

“Wait, that’s a _military_ VTOL-transport,” he said, as a close-up of the aircraft in question replaced the view of the sky outside the Command Center. “What’s it doing here?”

 

10100100101

 

The hum of the craft’s engines, a sound that would have been too subtle for a mere human to hear, was starting to become distinctly annoying. Still, the landscape passing by underneath him provided Spear with at least _something_ to distract himself from the thrumming engines. Their family had made plans to visit the Grand Canyon, perhaps after their voyage to Saturn and back had been completed, but he had never seen the place in anything but pictures and videos. Seeing it up close _was_ fascinating, but that wasn’t what he was here for.

 

“Here we are, sir: the Space Knight Command Center. You’ll be able to find your younger brothers there.”

 

“Thank you,” he said absently, tracing the lines and angles of the base where Ness and Cain had been staying with his eyes; the Space Knight Command Center, apparently. “You’ve been a great help to me.”

 

“Think nothing of it, sir,” the human said, as calm as anyone ever was when they didn’t know that they were going to die. “We’ll be setting down in a few minutes.”

 

 _No,_ we _won’t be doing anything of the sort,_ he mused, the sharp edges of his teknocrystal digging into his hands as he held it more tightly. “I do appreciate all of your help, and for what it’s worth, I _am_ sorry.”

 

“Sir?” the human’s voice held a wary sort of curiosity, now.

 

Seated just to the human’s right, in the VTOL-enabled craft that had delivered him to the place where his younger brothers and their human allies worked, Teknoman Spear closed his eyes; concentrating…

 

1101001001

 

If the sudden explosion of the craft that Ringo had been the first to identify hadn’t been a clear sign that something was in the processes of going Very Wrong, the sudden sense that Saber had of another Teknoman – an unpleasantly familiar Teknoman – washed over him like a proverbial tsunami was the clincher. Out of the corner of his left eye, Saber could see Slade getting as tense as he felt, right then.

 

“What happened?” Ringo wondered aloud, proving that things _weren’t_ quite as obvious as he had thought at first. “One second it was there, and the next-”

 

Ringo trailed off quickly, as the view on the screen zoomed in on the bright red sphere of light hanging in the sky, surrounded by the wreckage of what had once been a VTOL transport.

 

“ _That’s_ what happened: Spear’s coming,” Slade said, sounding like he was just two inches away from snarling.

 

“Looks like big brother’s paying us a visit,” he said, narrowing his eyes up at the huge image of Spear – harpoon-looking teknolance clutched in his left hand – in a steep dive and plunging toward the Command Center at incredible speed.

 

“Activate the defense-system, Tina,” the Commander ordered.

 

“Aye, aye, sir.” He could hear the sounds of buttons being pressed, but until he saw the lines of yellow light spreading out and connecting into a web that encompassed the entire Command Center, Saber wasn’t sure just what was going on. Once he did, though, he could only hope that it would hold.

 

101001000101

 

 _A forcefield? How quaint,_ he mused, continuing his dive. He was not about to be diverted by something so simple, but he had to admit that it was rather audacious of the humans to rely on such a simple thing to save them. Still, this _was_ the group that had dared to hold two of his younger brothers captive; those who had dared to think they could turn two – if not more – of Spear’s own family against the one they had all been ultimately reborn to serve without suffering the consequences of their actions. In _that_ light, Spear supposed that it was only to be expected that these humans would be an audacious sort.

 

When he finally made physical contact with the forcefield covering this Space Knight Command Center, forcing his mind to focus past the initial rush of purely physical pain, Spear found himself in the rather odd position of being forced back by a human-made construct. It was not a situation that he had ever expected to be in, but Spear found that he could not quite manage to force himself to endure the crackling electricity that prolonged contact with the forcefield was forcing through his body.

 

Clearly, he would have to take a more proactive stance in dealing with the defenses that this Space Knight Command Center boasted.

 

Withdrawing to just outside the range of the forcefield’s rather unpleasant physical effects, Spear scanned for the emitters that such a thing would be bound to have. Soon enough, he had found them. Throwing his teknolance at the bank of emitters nearest to him, Spear felt a definite sense of satisfaction as that part of the forcefield collapsed; smoothly drawing back his arm and throwing his teknolance almost in one, fluid motion as he searched for and then found the other two emitters, Spear allowed himself to breathe more easily.

 

He had not yet managed to make it _inside_ the Space Knights’ Command Center, but breaching their defenses was an important first step, all the same.

 

01001001010

 

Pelting down the corridors of the Command Center, following both the familiar path that he had been shown several times before and the sense that he always had of his teknocrystal, Slade soon arrived at the machine shop where Pegas was maintained and repaired. he registered the gantries and technicians swarming over the large mech only peripherally, as his long stride carried him closer.

 

Stopping just before he would have bowled Maggie over, Slade paused for a moment to catch his breath. “I need Pegas; I’m taking him out.”

 

“No, Slade! It’s not ready!” Maggie exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him in an effort to hold him back; he was completely aware of the fact that, with his enhanced strength, he could have gotten past her without the need to slow down; but, he was also aware that Saber and Maggie were getting closer, and if he hurt her his younger twin would be extremely unhappy with him.

 

He didn’t know just what Saber would _do_ , if that happened, but he wasn’t particularly eager to find out in any case.

 

“Spear’s already here,” he said, trying to be reasonable; he wasn’t _feeling_ particularly reasonable at the moment, not with Spear just outside the walls of the Command Center, battering down their defenses and planning to kill them all. “I _need_ Pegas.”

 

He knew that she might say it; hell, he knew most of them were probably thinking it: why didn’t he just let _Saber_ go out there while Pegas was repaired? But Saber had nearly been killed facing Spear, and while Slade knew that his younger twin was tough enough to handle himself in combat, that didn’t stop him from worrying. Saber had nearly died twice now; Slade wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself if he just sat back and waited while his younger twin went off to face their brainwashed, psychotic older brother alone.

 

Especially since he’d already failed to protect him twice.

 

“Hey. Calm down, lad,” Mac said, even as the Command Center rumbled and shook under the force of whatever weapons that Spear was currently using to attack; he didn’t know how Mac could remain so calm in the face of Spear’s onslaught, but it might have just been because the mechanic had never faced the ruthless, deadly, determined Teknoman before.

 

No one who had faced Spear head-on could have ever been so calm when he was attacking.

 

Lifting Maggie slightly off her feet, Slade set her down just out of his way as he began to climb the gantry just outside Pegas’ open back. He heard running footsteps, but since he didn’t sense Saber’s presence, he figured that it was probably Star and Ringo. It was important that he got out to intercept Spear before his and Saber’s brainwashed older brother could do anymore damage, but there was also another reason that he wanted to get out there as quickly as he could: he didn’t want to force Saber to risk his own life in combat, especially after what had happened to him those four days ago.

 

He was the older brother; it was his _duty_ to protect his younger siblings, and just because he only had one left _to_ protect didn’t change that fact in the slightest.

 

_(Ness, Cain; if you’re not coming out of this Command Center of yours, then I’m coming in.)_

 

The room shook again, as if to emphasize Spear’s threat, and Slade steeled himself for what was to come next; he’d fought for his life against Spear before, this time would be no different. He wouldn’t let it be.

 

“You little fool, wait till it’s ready,” Mac snapped, looking angrier than Slade had ever seen him; at least when that anger wasn’t directed at someone like Gault, anyway.

 

“We don’t have the time to wait for that,” he shot back, biting the tip of his tongue before he could end up stating the obvious: if _he_ didn’t go out there and confront Spear, then Saber would have to.

 

His younger twin had nearly died once, facing down their brainwashed elder brother; Slade wasn’t _about_ to let that happen again.

 

“We’re working as fast as we can, and you’re not helping any,” Mac said flatly.

 

“Slade, listen to him!” Star called; for a moment, he wondered what Ringo was going to say, but when he looked out at the catwalk bordering the machine shop, Slade saw that she was the only one standing there. “What will you accomplish by taking the Teknobot out now? Have you already forgotten what happened last time?”

 

Before he could begin to answer, to tell Star that he wasn’t doing this for his sake, but for everyone else in the Command Center, Slade sensed the briefest flash of a familiar presence. Then, suddenly, he found himself spun around, picked up by both his collar and his belt, and unceremoniously tossed off the gantry he’d been standing on. The sound of someone landing next to him as Slade landed back on the floor caused Slade to whip around.

 

He wondered just how someone had managed to sneak up on him, even while he _had_ been distracted talking to Star, but when he saw Saber smirking at him, and more than that when the sense he’d always had of his younger twin came rushing back, Slade felt a bit stupid. He also worried that his younger twin would do just what it seemed that Saber was planning.

 

“Did you forget about me so quickly, big brother?” Saber asked, in his light, calm, I-am-seriously-annoyed-with-you-right-now tone. “Aw, I’m hurt.”

 

“Saber, I-”

 

“No need to thank me, big brother,” Saber said, still smiling; that smile, the one that anyone who had known Cain Carter in the past would know was covering severe annoyance, and more than likely to earn whoever had been unfortunate enough to make themselves the target of Cain’s annoyance a punch in the face – if not something more drastic – Slade tried to make himself calm down. “I _know_ you’re not stupid enough to think you’d do any good out there without having Pegas here fully repaired. So, just leave this to me. I’ll hold Spear off until you can get into battle yourself.”

 

He didn’t know what to say; just how to explain to Saber that – while he knew his younger twin was strong enough to take care of himself in combat – Slade still worried about him, not to mention the fact that Saber had nearly been _killed_ facing Spear the last time they’d fought. He didn’t know how to say that without provoking Saber to punch him, and all _that_ would accomplish would be to get Saber annoyed with him while he was facing Spear.

 

He just didn’t know what to say.

 

10010010010

 

The sudden shock that raced through her mind, carrying an equally sudden awareness of just what Ness and Cain were currently doing, nearly sent Shara to her knees. She couldn’t help the feeling, as irrational as she knew it was, that she had somehow contributed to the trouble they were in. Wishing for Conrad not to find her where she was, after she had transformed and saved those nomads from the Spider-crab that had been attacking them, hadn’t meant that she had wanted him to go haring off in the opposite direction to attack Ness and Cain.

 

She hadn’t _wanted_ anything like that to happen, but it was clear that that was what _was_ happening, all the same.

 

What made things worse, though, was that the strain on her mind from sensing the battle that just seemed to be beginning, combined with the oppressive heat of the sun, combined to make Shara feel like she was being both crushed under the mental strain, and slowly roasted alive in the heat of the desert.

 

It wasn’t a good feeling, but if there was _any_ comfort to be had, it was the fact that having such a clear sense of where Ness and Cain – and even Conrad, though she didn’t like to think about what _that_ meant – were, meant that she was getting closer. And, in the end, that was what really mattered.


	22. Reunion

He could sense them, somewhere inside this Command Center of theirs; tearing his way through the outer layers of the facility was bound to attract the attention of his misguided younger brothers. Like all of his family, Ness and Cain were the type to fully devote themselves to a cause once they had chosen it, and they had clearly dedicated themselves to those Space Knights of theirs.

 

He didn’t know quite what to make of that; on the one hand, he was proud of his younger brothers and the dedication that they were showing, and yet that very dedication had been given to the wrong people. It was a troublesome thing, to be sure.

 

Throwing his lancer at yet another dish array, one that looked like it controlled  communications for this Command Center, Spear felt a certain sense of vindication. At least these humans would no longer be able to summon help.

 

_(Ness, Cain, I grow tired of this incessant stalling of yours; if you won’t come out of this Command Center on your own, then I will come in to retrieve you. I can promise that you won’t enjoy the outcome if you force me to resort to that.)_

 

01010010011

 

“You should listen to your brother, lad,” Mac said, and Saber couldn’t help but smirk a bit at the dumbfounded expression on Slade’s face. “He knows what he’s talking about. Besides, even if you _did_ manage to get into the Teknobot, you wouldn’t have been able to transform, anyway.”

 

“You’re going to fix it so I can, though, right?” Slade asked, sounding genuinely worried, though Saber knew that it most likely had nothing to do with what he was asking Mac.

 

Like him, Slade was probably a lot more worried about the fact that Spear was launching a dedicated attack on the Command Center rather than something simple like whether Pegas was going to be ready or not. Still, Slade was probably worried about him, too. But then, Slade always tended to worry about him; especially these days.

 

“That’s what I’m doing, lad,” Mac said, obviously trying to be reassuring; the effort was clearly lost on Slade.

 

“Relax, Slade; it’s not like Saber’s going to be going out there alone,” he heard Ringo say, accompanied by the whirr of machinery. “I’ll be backing him up.”

 

“Good idea, Ringo,” the Commander himself said, before Saber could even open his mouth to thank the other man.

 

“Thanks, Commander,” Ringo said, and Saber opted to wait until the two of them had finished their conversation to say anything. “This was the best idea I could think up.”

 

“Don’t sell yourself short,” he said, when the Commander paused for a moment. “It’s a good idea, and I definitely appreciate having the help.”

 

“Ringo’s isn’t going to be the only one there to back you up, Saber,” the Commander said, making his way over to a door on the far left side of the machine shop. “The two of you will be assisted by this.” There was a brief sound of buttons being pressed, and then the door slid open, revealing something that – oddly enough – resembled a wingless X-wing fighter with a huge gun sticking out of the top.

  
“Impressive,” he said, blinking in slight amusement and then smirking. “But, just what _is_ that?”

 

“This is an experimental vehicle that has been equipped with a new type of energy weapon we’ve been testing, one with ten times its original firepower. Moreover, the recharge time has been cut almost in half.”

 

“ _That’s_ good to hear,” he said, smiling.

 

“Yeah; it’s good to know that we’ll have some more guns on standby, you know, if we’re still out there twenty-five minutes after we get into combat,” Ringo said; he laughed, allowing the point.

 

It wasn’t like he could really help what had happened to his crystal; not as if he could go back in time and kill Gunnar before he set up that little trap of his, much as he might have wanted to, sometimes.

 

“Slade, you will wait for the Teknobot,” Jamison said, and while it _was_ a perfectly legitimate order, Saber knew even before the Commander finished speaking that Slade wasn’t going to be particularly happy about it.

 

“Then who’s going to fly the new ship?” Slade asked, sounding dubious but like he was willing to be persuaded. It was a step in the right direction, at least.

 

“Oh, me! Let me!” Maggie exclaimed, jumping up and down, waving her left arm in the air like a particularly enthusiastic first grader. “I’ll fly it!

 

“Hey, wait a minute!” Slade shouted, even as Saber himself laughed; that was Maggie for you.

 

“Man, look at this thing!” she gushed, rushing over to the side of the unnamed gunship-thingy, and actually pressing herself against it like she was trying to give the thing a hug. “It’s even got that new-ship smell!” she enthused. “Can you believe it? This is _great_!”

 

He _was_ trying to regain his composure, honestly he was, but after hearing Maggie talk like that, it was all he could do to keep himself from bursting into outright laughter. Slade, of course, wasn’t so sanguine about things.

 

“Yeah, that’s just _great_ ,” his older twin bit out.

 

“Sorry, brother, I really don’t think you’re going to win this argument,” he said, smirking at Slade even as Mac chuckled softly.

 

“Star, I want you to be in charge of communications,” the Commander said.

 

“Yes, sir,” Star said, smiling as she snapped off a salute.

 

_(Saber, I know that I probably won’t be able to talk you out of going into battle like this, but… just, take care of yourself, all right?)_

_(Will do, brother,)_ he said, as Star and Maggie settled themselves inside the wingless X-wing looking ship and closed it up tight. _(And don’t worry, big brother, I’ll be sure to take good care of your girlfriend.)_

 

 _(Yeah, just make sure you don’t forget about yours,)_ Slade deadpanned.

 

 _(Wouldn’t dream of it,)_ he returned easily, sparing a moment of concentration to retrieve his teknocrystal as he fell into step with Ringo’s armored form.

 

He wanted as much time in his Teknoman form as he could manage, and that meant that he couldn’t afford to waste it on the walk from the machine shop to wherever he, Ringo, and then Maggie and Star in that ship thing of theirs were going to be launching from.

 

01001001001

 

It was mildly infuriating, to find himself in the position he was: to know that his younger brothers were somewhere very close by, and yet to be completely unable to locate them as yet. _(Ness, if you and Cain aren’t willing to come out of this building, then I will simply tear my way in to get to you.)_

 

The sudden sense of Cain’s presence, stronger within his mind than it could have been merely from his younger brother approaching him, let Spear know that he would at least have the chance to bring Cain back with him. Of course, he would still have to find Ness, but for the moment that could wait while he dealt with Cain.

 

The sound of whirring machinery, coming from the exact same place where he sensed Cain’s presence, drew Spear’s attention and he turned around after having caught his thrown teknolance. Cain, in his full Tekno-armor and with his arms folded across his chest, was being raised up onto the surface with him. However, the fact that the same false Teknoman that Spear had been forced to confront four days ago stood right beside his younger brother made the situation rather more annoying than it would otherwise have been.

 

“It’s good to see you again, little brother,” he said, attempting to keep the annoyance he was feeing in the presence of the false Teknoman in check. It certainly wasn’t _Cain’s_ fault that that worthless creature was following him.

 

Cain said nothing in response, but Spear could almost _feel_ the tension radiating from the younger of his two missing brothers. Given what had happened the last time the two of them had met – something Spear still regretted, for all that he understood the necessity of such things – Spear could understand Cain’s hesitance.

 

“Yeah, it’s a real fun family reunion,” the false Teknoman spat, drawing Spear’s attention back to itself; he didn’t know precisely what the human wearing that armor was thinking, but Spear had not been particularly willing to tolerate the human’s presence even when he was silent, so the insect should not have expected his tolerance to extend to such insolence.

 

“Little brother, is this creature troubling you?” he asked, bringing his teknolance up into line to impale the armored human through the torso and hence be rid of him quickly. “I could dispose of him for you rather easily, if you like.”

 

“Hmm, let me think about that,” Cain said, and there was something in his younger brother’s voice that Spear didn’t quite like; he didn’t know how to interpret it, precisely, but it unnerved him slightly.

 

Cain’s side-kick slamming into his face – blunted by his armor, but more painful for what the attack _meant_ than for the attack itself – knocked Spear back a couple paces, and when he regained his composure he found that the armored human was pointing one of those annoying, oversized pulse rifles at him.

 

“I think you’d better take that as a no,” the human snapped; Spear ground his teeth, bad enough that one of his own younger brothers had chosen to side against him in this battle, but to have one of _those_ inferior creatures speaking to him that way was nearly infuriating. “Oh, and here’s _my_ answer, too.”

 

The shot from the energy rifle that both of the armored suits he had seen seemed to be carrying, while it was just as useless against Spear’s own armor as the one that other human had attempted to use on him, was just as annoying as it had been before. Hissing his displeasure at the human who had just dared to attack him, Spear readied his lancer. Before he could fully _demonstrate_ his displeasure to said human, to watch the insect writhe in the grip of the electricity that he commanded with but a thought, Cain had shoved the armored human out of the way.

 

As his dear younger brother – misguided and stubborn as he so clearly was – threw his head back, silent but clearly suffering under the barrage of the electricity that had been meant for the insolent human who had dared to attack him so brazenly, Spear froze for a moment. He knew that he could ill-afford distractions, especially in battle such as he was engaged in now, but to see Cain in this kind of a state…

 

_(Cain, why would you do such a thing? For Ness, I can understand risking yourself – though you wouldn’t need to if you both would just come home – but-)_

 

Cain actually _laughed_ ; though the laughter was more bitter than any that he’d ever heard from his cheerful younger brother. _(Well, that’s your problem right there, Spear: you_ can’t _understand. And you never will.)_  


Shoving aside the confusion he felt at Cain’s words – he had _always_ strove to understand his younger siblings so that he could help them with their troubles – Spear steeled himself for the battle ahead. Much as he might not have wanted to do such a thing, it looked as if he was going to have to forcibly subdue Cain if he wanted to make any sort of progress getting inside, so that he would be able to find Ness.

 

01010010011

 

“Final check completed; all systems are go,” Star reported, trying to slow her racing heart; this was the first time that _she_ would be the one going into battle against a Teknoman. The first time for Maggie, too, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the other woman was feeling as tense as she did. “We’re ready for liftoff, Commander.”

 

“Be careful, you two,” the Commander said; Star felt touched by his concern.

 

Every one of them knew the dangers of going out to face even _one_ of the Radam’s Teknomen, moreso for normal humans like all of them, but Star couldn’t have lived with herself if she’d refused the chance to help when Saber and Ringo had been so quick to volunteer.

 

“Engine power on, standby for liftoff,” Maggie said, as Star felt the powerful thrumming of the engines as the ship they were on began to hover.

 

Checking one, last time that all of her gauges were in the green and all the proper switches had been thrown, Star allowed herself to relax slightly as she realized they were.

 

“Now, let’s go show this guy something,” Maggie snarled; it was startling to hear such ferocity from the other woman, but then she remembered that Saber was out there, risking himself in defense of the Command Center against one of the most terrifying things that even someone as powerful as a Teknoman could face.

 

In that respect, Star could perfectly sympathize with Maggie’s desire to get out there as fast as she could.

 

Feeling herself pressed back into the padded seat from the force of the ship’s acceleration, Star took hold of the controls more firmly and steered them toward the battlefield. She knew that Saber and Ringo were both fully capable people, but under the circumstances the sooner she could get herself and Maggie out to their battlefield, the better she would feel about the situation.

 

She knew Slade well enough to know that he felt just the same.

 

11101010010

 

Knowing that he could have contacted Saber with a thought, and also knowing that his younger twin was in battle with someone who scared even _him_ sometimes, it was all Slade could do to keep himself from reaching out for Saber’s mind nonetheless. The only real way Slade could keep his mind off his worries was to contact someone who actually knew what was going on.

 

He’d never be able to concentrate, otherwise.

 

“Tina, what’s going on?” he asked, still feeling tense.

 

“Star and Maggie are on their way now,” the youngest of the Space Knights said, sounding about as calm as he didn’t feel right now. “Saber and Ringo are going to have backup soon, Slade.”

 

“Don’t worry about what you can’t control, lad,” Mac said; Slade figured that he knew what he was talking about, being stuck down here in the machine shop while he, Saber, Star, and Ringo went out on their various missions. “Concentrate on what you can do to help. We’re going to be testing Pegas’ servo-circuits. Get me a power reading on servo-circuits two and three. If you see any fluctuations or overloads, let me know.”

 

“All right, Mac,” he said, activating the display and trying to put his worries about what Spear might have been doing to Saber and Ringo out of his mind. “I’m on it.”

 

It was the hardest thing Slade had had to do since his teknocrystal had been shattered by Gunnar: just sit back and wait, inside the Command Center where he was safe – for the most part – while his younger twin, someone who Slade had sworn to protect, went into battle with only the most minimal of protection. He’d hated it before, and experiencing that helplessness a second time didn’t improve it at all.

 

Still, for the moment this was all he could do; Slade knew that he would have to accept it and push forward if he wanted to get anything done. So, taking a deep breath, he continued with this hardest of tasks.

 

001010010011

 

At least Saber seemed to be doing well – as well as anyone could be when they were being forced to fight a member of their own family, at least – after the electricity that Spear had slammed him with, Ringo wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d been worried about the kid. It had been pretty much mutually agreed upon that he was best-suited for sniping the kid’s crazed, Radam-influenced older brother from whatever cover he could find while the kid himself engaged the Teknoman.

 

Ringo had also decided that he was best-suited for keeping an eye on Saber’s time-limit; they’d already been out here for ten minutes, and he wasn’t about to leave Saber to the “tender mercies” of his brainwashed psychopath of an older brother. Still, he was hoping that Maggie and Star made their grand entrance in that hover-gun that the Commander and the lab jockeys had cooked up.

 

It wasn’t like they had all the time in the world, here.

 

Spotting another opening in said brainwashed psychopath’s defenses, Ringo sniped him and then quickly moved to shelter behind yet another one of the smallish mesas in this area. Turning, he smirked slightly as Saber took shameless advantage of the opening he’d provided to nail Spear with another flying side-kick to the face. Sure, the Radam Teknoman shook it off like it was nothing, but the kick still staggered him and drove him back through the air, right into the perfect position for Ringo to fire another blast straight at him.

 

He was still hoping that Star and Maggie would get out here with that big, hovering gunship of theirs, since Saber’s time was seriously starting to run low, and Ringo was fully aware of the fact that he and his Tekno-suit – good as the thing was for fighting Spider-crabs – wasn’t going to have a chance in hell of beating someone who could regularly come out on top of fights with both Saber and Slade at once. It wasn’t a happy thought, for all that it was true, and when Ringo glanced back at the Tekno-suit’s chronometer, he shuddered.

 

 _Seventeen minutes gone already; come on, you two. Saber’s only got eight minutes of fight left in him._ Though realistically he didn’t even have _that_ much, considering that no one in their right mind wanted the kid passing out when he _wasn’t_ safe inside the Command Center, and once the kid’s time had run out, that was just what was going to happen.

 

Taking another shot when Saber swung his psychotic older brother around so that his back was squarely facing Ringo’s position, he continued to hope that Maggie and Star would arrive quickly; it was the only real hope that Saber had.

 

00100101010

 

Snarling in fury as yet another pulse from that annoying human’s rifle slammed into his back, Spear whipped around to confront him. Grabbing Cain’s armored collar as his misguided, stubborn younger brother attempted to use the distraction the human had created to assault him again, Spear slammed Cain’s armored body into the side of the cliff they had been battling in front of, stunning his younger brother momentarily.

 

He would not have used this level of force on his one of his own younger brothers under anything but the most dire of circumstances were they not both in their armored forms, and even though they were, Spear wished that it had not come to this point; he and Cain were family, for all his dear younger brother’s stubbornness. They were not _meant_ to be on opposite sides of a war.

 

While Cain was stunned, his younger brother’s grip on his own teknolance slackening just enough that Spear could remove it from his hand without having to fight Cain for it, Spear quickly relieved his younger brother of his weapon. With the aid of his own – to hold his misguided younger brother in place while he dealt with the annoying human who had been harassing him for so long – Spear rammed his and Cain’s teknolances deep into the rock, crossing the shafts at Cain’s waist tightly enough that his younger brother would not be able to slip out between them even if he _did_ shed his armor in the effort to do so.

 

Turning his attention to the human who had been making such an annoyance of himself, Spear found that – once again – the human was aiming that worthless pulse rifle at him.

 

“This is becoming rather tiresome,” he said flatly, unwilling to show his emotions to such an inferior being.

 

“I couldn’t agree more, pal,” the human snapped; Spear ground his teeth, that this creature – so far beneath Spear that he might as well have been an insect in comparison – would even think to _suggest_ that the two of them could _ever_ be…

 

Snarling, Spear deployed his right-side blade, his pauldron sliding down to cover his right hand with the sound of a large knife being unsheathed. Fitting, of course, but slightly misleading since the blade he now possessed was longer than any knife that Spear had ever seen. Even the butcher’s blade that he had used back during his time as a mere human was not quite so long as the blade he had now.

 

Drawing his blade back, more than prepared to drive it into the head of this most annoying of opponents, Spear suddenly found himself under fire from not only the armored human in front of him, but from someone behind, as well. Turning to see whoever it was that had been so cowardly as to attack him from behind, even as the light from the explosion that had been set off all around him slowly cleared from his vision, Spear saw the vehicle sitting at the top of a low, rocky outcropping.

 

It had clearly been designed by the same ones that had designed that annoying rifle that the armored human kept stubbornly trying to use on him – Spear suspected the Space Knights were ultimately responsible, since _they_ had been the ones working so closely with his younger brothers for all these months; all the more reason not to show them any mercy – but the _form_ of the vehicle was about as unlike the armored suit that Spear had been facing as it was possible to be.

 

Clearly, the Space Knights were as fully dedicated to their futile defiance as Ness and Cain were to their own; these humans, however, would receive _none_ of Spear’s mercy.

 

0100100100

 

 _That just might have done it,_ Ringo mused, as the space between him and Spear was filled with flying debris from the two-way explosion that Saber and Slade’s psychotic older brother had been at ground zero of. Allowing himself to relax enough to check his Tekno-suit’s chronometer, Ringo tensed up all over again once he saw how much time had passed while he’d been hunting a certain evil Teknoman across the outer edges of the Command Center’s perimeter.

 

 _Damn! Only one and a half minutes left!_ He knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that he wouldn’t be able to get Saber back inside the Command Center _before_ the kid lost his hold on that transformation that made him and Slade so deadly in combat, but he could at least protect Saber once the kid had inevitably lost consciousness when he lost that armor of his. Rocketing into the air, trusting Maggie and Star to be able to take care of themselves while he got Saber out of whatever tight spot the kid had to be in now that his time had pretty much run out.

 

He found the kid in a particularly bad situation: pinned to the sheer side of an outcropping, with both his own teknolance and the one that obviously belonged to Spear holding him up at the waist. There was no blood – Ringo took a moment to be profoundly grateful for small favors – but the kid was pretty well stuck, all the same. Just as he was about to yank one of the lances – the one that clearly belonged to Spear, so he could toss it somewhere that a certain psychopath wouldn’t be able to get to it – Ringo felt something slamming into his armored left flank.

 

It was just as well that he _was_ wearing armor, Ringo reflected, since it felt like that kick would have shattered most if not all of his ribs if it’d connected with his unarmored body. Firing his thrusters to right himself, after he’d ridden out the momentum from the kick that he _couldn’t_ turn aside, Ringo saw the worst sight he could possibly have seen under the circumstances: Spear was there, hovering right in front of Saber just as the kid finally lost his hold on that transformation of his and his armor vanished.

 

Righting himself in the air, Ringo breathed deeply as he tried to make himself relax. Being tense in this situation wouldn’t do him a bit of good, even if he _was_ about to do something that anyone could have told him was dangerous in the extreme. Hell, _he_ knew that getting between any Teknoman and something they wanted was stupid as all hell, but there were just some things a man had to do when his friends were in danger.

 

Darting in behind Spear, just as the evil Teknoman had pulled Saber away from the outcropping, Ringo took a swing at Spear’s head to disorient Saber and Slade’s psychotic older brother just long enough for him to pull Saber’s vulnerable, human form out of the evil Teknoman’s arms. Once he’d gotten a good grip on Saber, something he had a lot less time for than he would have ever wished, Ringo flew as fast as his rockets would let him. _Okay, Saber’s about as safe as anyone’s going to get out here; now I just have to get him back inside the Command Center without getting us both killed by Spear._

 

Easier said than done, he knew; a certain psychotic, evil Teknoman would be dogging his trail every metaphorical step of the way back to the Command Center. About the only thing he could really count on to keep Spear from doing anything _too_ drastic was the fact that he was holding Saber in the first place. And, really, _that_ was bound to piss Spear off more than anything.

 

Turning to look behind him, his morbid curiosity finally prompting him to need to know just how close he was to having a bad, first-hand encounter with Spear, Ringo tensed. As it turned out, he was still a bit too close for comfort. This wasn’t going to be easy.

 

0100100010

 

“Come in!” Tina shouted over the comm., desperately worried for all of her friends who were out trying to fight Spear. “Somebody answer me! Is anybody there?! Star? Saber? Maggie? Ringo?”

 

Maggie and Star appeared out of the static on the main screen, Maggie holding her head like she’d gotten a headache, and Star slumped across the control console of the vehicle that Commander Jamison had asked her to pilot. Neither of them looked like they were injured, though, so that was good.

 

“Yeah?” Maggie asked, still holding her head.

 

“We’re all right for the moment, I think,” Star answered, raising her head and looking like she was trying to be calm for all of their sakes. Tina appreciated the sentiment, but she was worried all the same.

 

“I’m worried about Ringo and Saber; neither of them have been answering my hails,” she said, hoping that Maggie and Star would be able to tell her what had happened to their two fellow Space Knights that she hadn’t been able to contact.

 

However, right at that moment, the static on the main screen came back, and a small image of Slade appeared; Tina could only be thankful that he hadn’t heard what she, Maggie, and Star had been talking about. He would have been so worried if he knew that they hadn’t been able to contact either Saber or Ringo; but Saber in particular, she knew. He’d always worried about Saber when the two of them were separated.

 

“Tina, how are Saber and Ringo doing out there?” Slade asked, sounding about as tense as he looked.

 

“They’re fine, Slade,” the Commander said, speaking before Tina herself could say even a single word. “We’ve been out of contact for a short time, but I am quite certain that Ringo and Saber are handling the situation well. There’s no need for you to worry.”

 

“Thanks, Commander.”

 

Looking over at the Commander for a moment, wondering if he’d been worrying just as much as she had, Tina turned back to the main screen, just as the image of Slade vanished and was replaced by a view of the outside. Standing on an outcropping, larger than life thanks to the effects of the screen, were Ringo and Spear.

 

Saber was there, too, but it was obvious that he wasn’t conscious; Ringo was holding him up, bridal style, and standing in front of Spear.

 

“Tina, activate the audio-receivers,” the Commander said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

 

“Yes, sir,” she said, quickly doing so.

 

Over the Command Center’s external receivers, carried to all of the personnel inside Comm. One, was… a conversation between Ringo and Spear:

 

“Give me my younger brother,” Spear said, his tone softer than Tina ever would have expected from one of Darkon’s Teknomen; he _did_ still sound annoyed, though.

 

“No,” Ringo said firmly, and Tina thought he looked like he _wanted_ to start moving away from Spear, but didn’t know just how the evil Teknoman would react to that.

 

“My patience with your kind is not unlimited, human,” Spear said, an obvious sneer in his voice. “Now, give me Saber, and then tell me where Slade is.”

 

 _Saber!_ Shivering as she watched the confrontation between Spear and Ringo, Tina tried to calm down her racing heart. There wasn’t anything that she or anyone else could do for Saber right now; all that they could do was to trust that Ringo was going to be able to get the both of them away from Spear safely. _Please, let them both make it back here all right,_ she prayed, clasping her hands as she continued to watch the confrontation being played out in front of them.

 

All they could do now was hope that everything would work out.

 

1010100101

 

He could hear Mac directing his underlings, guiding them to put the last pieces of Pegas’ outer structure back together. He couldn’t focus so much on that, though; most of his attention that wasn’t being taken up by the gauge in front of him was back with Saber. Sure, he’d heard the Commander’s reassurances that his younger twin was most likely all right, but nothing could really compare to having Saber himself say that.

 

Even if his younger twin laughed at him, which Saber probably would when he found out, Slade would be much happier once the two of them were together again.

 

“We’re almost finished, lad,” Mac said, bringing Slade’s attention back to the world in general. “All we have to do is drop this unit in, and fasten her down. Then, it’ll be all up to you and Saber.”

 

“Right,” he said, turning and nodding at Mac so that the portly mechanic would know that he’d gotten the message. “Thanks, Mac,” he muttered, facing the gauge that he’d been asked to monitor once more. _Just hold on out there, little brother. I’ll be coming to help you soon; just hold on a little longer._

 

1101001011

 

Shara didn’t remember having fallen asleep, but she supposed that no one ever really _remembered_ falling asleep; they just realized that they had done so after they woke up somewhere. She thought that it was kind of strange, the fact that she could feel a blanket covering her; she didn’t think any of the nomads would have been willing to do that kind of thing.

 

Not after the way that all of them had panicked at the sight of her in full Tekno-armor.

 

She was also laying on top of what felt like a bedroll, and she could hear people talking. Just two people, it sounded like.

 

“We may not be under attack at the moment, Sergeant, but I’m telling you, we’ve _got_ to be ready,” the first voice, a young-sounding man – strangely enough, he sounded only a few years older than Ness or Cain – said.

 

“Ready for _what_? They’re attacking the Space Knights, not us,” the second voice – an older main – replied, sounding a bit resigned to their current situation. “We’re safe, for now.”

 

“There’s no place on the _planet_ that’s safe, Sergeant,” the younger man countered; she knew better than most just how true his words were, but she also understood that no one would truly _want_ to believe how much danger they were in from the Radam presence on Earth. “The Military is _helpless_. We just have to hope that the Space Knights’ special weapons are enough to hold them back.”

 

“Oh, you mean those Teknoman things?”

 

“Space Knights? Space Knights,” she muttered to herself, wondering just what kind of an organization would honestly call themselves that; it was a strange name, to be sure. Then, the other thing that the older man had said – far more important to her at this point in time – registered. “Teknoman?”

 

Sitting back up, deciding that getting answers from these two men was far more relevant to her current interests than seeing if either of them would say anything else on their own, Shara heard the older man comment on that fact. He also called her “Sleeping Beauty”, but it sounded like he was just trying to be funny.

 

“How are you feeling?” the younger man – he had reddish-brown hair, and kind brown eyes – asked, holding out a mug as if he was offering the contents to her. “Sorry for the accommodations; sand doesn’t make the most comfortable bed, does it? Would you like some coffee? I just made it; it’s fresh.”

 

“Thank you, but no.” Even the smell reminded her of Conrad; though her eldest brother – when he was still himself – would have had two creams and one sugar in his drink if he’d been the one preparing it. He’d never been particularly fond of the taste of coffee on its own. “Where am I? And where are these Teknomen?”

 

“As far as I know, they’re at the Space Knight Command Center,” the younger man said.

 

“Their Command Center? Are you sure that’s where I can find those Teknomen?” she asked; the younger man, the younger _soldier_ , didn’t respond.

 

“Listen, miss, I’ll be perfectly happy to answer any questions you might have, but I think that first you should have at least _something_ in your stomach.”

 

It was true: Shara _was_ starting to feel the slight, gnawing hunger that all Teknomen felt when they had been forced to expend a great deal of energy and then found themselves unable to replenish it in any way. Taking the mug from the younger soldier’s hands, Shara took a moment to feel the warmth of the ceramic on her own, before taking a long swallow. The bitter taste of the drink wasn’t any more appealing than the last time she’d had it, but it did feel nice to have something in her stomach.

 

Even if it wasn’t particularly substantial.

 

“There ya go,” the younger soldier said, smiling gently. “Now, tell me: why are you here? I mean, how did a young girl like you end up all the way out in the desert? You- well, you didn’t even have any _shoes_ when we found you.”

 

“My brothers are with the Space Knights,” she said; she’d wasted enough time, time that she didn’t really have, out here in the desert. At the very least, she had _something_ to go on. “I’ve got to find them!”

 

“You mean, actually _go_ to their Command Center?” the younger soldier asked, looking surprised. His expression smoothed out as quickly as she would have expected from a professional soldier, though. “I’m afraid that would be impossible, miss. The Space Knights are in an action zone; you can’t go _there_.”

 

“Just show me the way to their command center!”

 

“Sorry, miss,” the older soldier said; he was more controlled than the younger one, almost to the point of sounding entirely unemotional. “It’s too dangerous, and that’s in a classified area. Besides, that zone would be knee-deep in Spider-crabs by now. They’re bad news, miss.”

 

It was about the largest understatement that she had ever heard anyone make, but the older soldier seemed just the kind of person to say something like that. “I don’t care!”

 

“Don’t worry, miss,” the younger soldier said, reaching out to rest his hand on her right shoulder. “You’re safe with us. Now, tell me: who _are_ you?”

 

He was such a kind person that she almost regretted the necessity of her actions, but Shara knew that she couldn’t allow herself to forget that it _was_ necessary. She _needed_ to speak with Ness and Cain, as well as whatever allies that her older brothers had managed to gather; to tell them what she had found out during the time that the Radam had spent attempting to tamper with her mind. And what she had seen before that.

 

She couldn’t afford to stay here anymore; that much was more than clear. “I’ve got to go; I have to get to my brothers, now.” Standing up, the slight ‘thunk’ of something impacting the ground lost in the new urgency Shara felt now that she actually knew where to go. “Goodbye.”

 

The younger soldier called out to her, and she could hear the worry in his tone as he gave chase. And, as much as she didn’t like to make people worry about her, Shara knew that she couldn’t afford to spend the time it would take to reassure him. She knew – at least in a general sense – where she would be able to find Ness and Cain now, having heard some of the people on the Argos mentioning a group called the Space Knights.

 

The name of the organization alone had been odd enough to draw her attention, and the fact that their Command Center was in Arizona – a place that she had always wanted to visit – had ensured that the information would stick in her mind.

 

The younger soldier was shouting at her as she ran, yelling for her to stop; that it was dangerous out in the desert; yelling that there was nothing for her out there in the middle of the desert. Shara knew what she was looking for now, though, and as kind as both of the soldiers had been to her, she knew that she couldn’t afford to stay with them now that she had a concrete destination to aim for.

 

There was really only one way that she would be able to make up for the time that she had lost while wandering in the desert without any real destination, as much as she didn’t particularly _want_ to do it: “Tekno-power!”

 

Firing her thrusters as she leapt into the air, Shara tried to breathe deeply and calm down. She knew what she was going to be bringing down on her head; she knew that Conrad was going to be able to find her much more easily now that she had transformed, but she also knew that Ness and Cain would be able to do the same. And now, now that she had a concrete destination in mind, somewhere to aim her course while she was in the air, there was another thing she would be able to do. She could call out to them now, secure in the knowledge that – as long as she kept moving in the right direction – Ness and Cain would come to help her.

 

At the very least, she would have a _chance_ of meeting up with them before Conrad showed up to attack her; maybe not a good one, but a chance was really the best she could hope for under the circumstances.

 

 

Ringo could have sworn that the even the _air_ between him and Spear was crackling with the tension that he could see in every line of Spear’s armored body. He knew what the fanatical Teknoman wanted; hell, he couldn’t _help_ but know, after Spear had been so damned adamant about it during the battle. The glare from the evil Teknoman’s narrowed, glowing red eyes also let him know that there were probably _very_ few things that said evil Teknoman would have liked more than to grab Saber and fly off back to Darkon with him.

 

Well, other than to be able to somehow get Slade back, too; and, Ringo was also fairly sure that rending _him_ limb-from-limb rated pretty high on that list, too.

 

That was what made it all the more surprising when a certain evil Teknoman snapped around, searching the sky like it held some kind of all-important answer for him. Spear seemed torn for a few moments after that, his red gaze fixing on Saber for a long few seconds, then back on the sky, before he leaped into the sky in a burst of red fire. The evil Teknoman was a distant line of red light in the sky before Ringo could even _begin_ to formulate any possible idea about _what in the hell had just happened_.

 

As soon as Spear was no longer in sight, Saber sat up in his arms quickly enough that Ringo knew the kid had to have been playing ‘possum. Not that Ringo blamed him, since without his armor he was just as vulnerable to attack as any other human.

 

“Get me back inside. I need to see my brother,” Saber said, bright blue eyes boring into Ringo with more force than he’d ever seen the kid use before; at least on one of his fellow Space Knights. Still, this _was_ the most serious situation either of them had been in so far.

 

“Right,” he said, noticing just then the presence of a particular, glowing spot of light between Saber’s eyebrows that meant that he’d been talking to Slade all this time. _No wonder he didn’t say he needed to_ talk _to Slade,_ Ringo mused, smirking slightly. Say what you would about those freaky twin powers their boys had – and he’d said a lot of it, both before and after the three of them had gotten to know each other – but it really came in handy during times like this.

 

Star and Maggie met up with the two of them as Ringo made his way back to the Command Center, and for a few moments he was surprised to see that the gun-boat they’d been riding in while they took potshots at Spear was still mostly intact. Then, he realized that it was probably just because a certain evil Teknoman had been a hell of a lot more interested in beating him and Saber down so that he could drag the kid back to Darkon and get him brainwashed.

 

He guessed that it was just a good thing that he and Saber had been able to distract said evil Teknoman as well as they had. Not quite for their own sakes, since holding the attention of one of the Radam’s most powerful fighters tended to have some pretty unpleasant consequences for anyone who tried to do it, but for everyone else who was inside the Command Center. _Not that that’s going to stop any of us Space Knights from doing what we have to do, but it’s something we always have to keep in mind._

 

101001001

 

_(Spear just left, and I’m betting you know just as well as I do why that is.)_

Biting his lower lip as Saber’s mental voice sounded inside his mind for the first time since his younger twin had gone out to fight their older brother, Slade sighed. _(Do you really think it could be true, though? I mean, I know what I_ want _to be true, but I don’t know-)_

_(Yeah,)_ Saber said, sounding about as wary of the whole idea as Slade himself felt. _(I know; this whole thing seems too good to be true, but I think it might be worth checking out all the same. If only so we at least won’t be surprised by anything else that happens.)_

_(Yeah, you’re probably right,)_ Slade said, sighing. He didn’t like it; he didn’t know if it was possible for Shara to have escaped the brainwashing that had turned their older brother Conrad into Darkon’s loyal attack dog, and didn’t like the idea of either of them ending up having to fight Shara if she _had_ been brainwashed.

 

He didn’t like the idea both for Shara’s own sake, and because he knew that, no matter what else happened, they would inevitably be facing Spear again.

 

“Slade, we’re all finished here,” he heard Mac say, bringing his attention back to what he was actually doing rather than what he and Saber were _going_ to be doing. “Get going; Saber’s waiting for you.”

 

“Really?” he asked; it did _seem_ like all of the work needed to put Pegas back together had been done, but Slade would have been the first to admit that he didn’t know the inner-workings of his and Saber’s combat partner nearly as well as Mac did. “That’s good to know; it feels like I’ve been waiting forever.”

 

“Right; the armor is tougher, and this new energy-cannon is the strongest we’ve ever made. It should give you lads all the edge you need.”

 

“Thanks, Mac,” he said softly, staring up at the form of his and Saber’s newly repaired combat partner. He already knew that they wouldn’t be needing it as urgently as he’d thought when he’d been all but assigned to help the Space Knights’ head mechanic to repair Pegas, but he was still aware that they would both be needing it when they inevitably went out to confront Spear.

 

And, if their capricious luck was against them this time, they might end up facing off with Shara, too.

 

While Mac contacted the Commander, and the Commander told him that Spear had left, Slade gathered himself for what he and Saber were going to have to do next. When Mac started speaking to the Commander about the repairs that they had made to Pegas, Slade went over to the communication console that he suspected was a standard feature in all of the larger rooms of the Command Center.

 

“Tell Slade that Spear has retreated, and that Saber is on his way back with Ringo,” the Commander said, and before Mac could say anything in response, Slade had made it over to the console.

 

“Retreated?” Mac echoed. “But, why would he do _that_?”

 

“We’re not sure, Mac.”

 

“Let Saber and I go after him, Commander,” he said, seeing Jamison’s eyes lock onto him with what seemed like his usual level of detached interest. “There’s another Teknoman out there.”

 

“ _Another_ Teknoman?” the Commander echoed.

 

“Yes; and this one will help us against Spear,” he said, putting all of the conviction he didn’t quite feel into his voice. “This could be the only chance we have to bring them in before Spear gets to them.”

 

He was trying not to think too much about Shara; Saber would probably call him an idiot, or at least laugh at him if he ever talked about what he was feeling right now, but Slade felt that if he didn’t mention her too specifically – if he tried not to think too much about their younger sister and the fact that he and Saber were going to be heading off to rescue her – then their capricious luck might not find some way to turn against them. It _was_ probably a stupid thought, but it was the main thing in his mind at this moment all the same.

 

“All right, you have my permission to deploy,” the Commander said; Slade breathed a sigh of relief. “Inform Saber, if you haven’t already.”

 

“All right,” he nodded. “Thank you, Commander.”

 

The Commander’s sharp nod was all the answer Slade got from him, but after working for the man for so long, Slade honestly hadn’t been expecting anything else.

 

 _(Saber, we’re going to be heading out again,)_ he said. _(The Commander’s okayed it, so as soon as you make it back here, we’ll head for the Blue Earth.)_

_(Sounds good,)_ Saber said. _(We’ll have to get the rations out of the Blue Earth again, though, and I’m kind of starting to get sick of those,)_ Saber said, with the dry, deadpan tone that he always used when he wasn’t being remotely serious.

 

 _(I’m sure you’ll manage,)_ he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

 

As he sensed Saber covering the last bit of distance between the two of them, Slade looked over at the hallway that Ringo and Saber had left through. Saber was the first one back in, but Ringo was close enough behind him that he didn’t think his younger twin had run the whole way back. Ringo would have been out of breath if that had been the case; Saber wouldn’t have been, though, Slade knew at least that much.

 

“No rest for the wicked, eh?” Ringo asked, smirking slightly as the three of them joined up with each other in the machine shop.

 

“You could say that,” Saber said, the amused expression on his younger twin’s face not comforting Slade nearly as much as it clearly did Ringo; he knew Saber better than anyone else, after all.

 

This situation was making them both tense.

 

When Star and Maggie made their way back into the machine shop, Slade finally let go of the last of the tension he’d been feeling. Both of them looked all right, which he knew wouldn’t have been the case if they had gotten into a fight with Spear. Watching as Maggie turned to Saber, wrapping her arms around his younger twin and kissing him deeply, Slade turned away slightly.

 

Sure, it was cute and all, but seeing them together like that tended to remind him of just how fragile all of their lives really were right now. He knew that Saber knew just as well as he did how precarious all of this was, but seeing Saber with Maggie reminded him more than ever of just how different he and Saber were; even being twins didn’t change that. And, while Saber tended to reach out to people he was close to when he was feeing uncertain about things, Slade knew that he would always try to keep people at arms-length when things like this came up.

 

It was for a good reason, yes – he’d never want any of his friends to be hurt, particularly when the only thing that had put them in the line of fire was the fact that they _were_ his friends – but watching Saber’s interactions with their friends always served to remind Slade of how different he and Saber were, in the end.

 

It didn’t take much time to explain what they had both sensed; the most likely reason that Spear had left them alone when he did, in spite of the fact that Slade himself hadn’t been out there fighting, and their older brother had had to have known that Slade would have been able, and more than willing, to fight with all he had to save his younger brother. The fact that the Commander himself had given them the go-ahead helped them to move a bit faster, but Slade found himself watching Ringo’s reaction as the four of them made for the Blue Earth. He still remembered the way the blond had reacted to him and Saber when the two of them had first showed up at the Command Center.

 

He could have never imagined that Ringo agreeing to anything he’d proposed so readily; but then, Slade knew that he probably wouldn’t have bothered _asking_ , back then.

 

It seemed like entirely too much time had passed before the four of them made it to the Blue Earth, even in spite of the fact that they’d run the whole way to the hangar, but Slade knew that that was just his own impatience making the trip feel longer. There wasn’t really anything he could _do_ about that, Slade knew, so he would just have to deal with that on his own. Settling into his seat, Slade turned the chair slightly so that he could watch Saber climb into his; his younger twin winked at him as he sat down.

 

Smiling softly, Slade turned both his chair and his attention back to the outside world; Shara was still out there, somewhere, and it was up to them to find her. Slade wouldn’t let himself forget that. The deep, distant thrumming of the Blue Earth’s engines as they powered up served both to relax Slade a bit – since they were finally moving out – and to remind him of just what was at stake.

 

If his hunch was wrong…

 

 _(I hope Shara’s doing all right out there,)_ Saber said, cutting into Slade’s worrying before he could really get started.

 

 _(Yeah, me too,)_ he said.

 

Closing his eyes, Slade did something he really, truly hoped he wouldn’t come to regret in the future: he let down the mental barrier that he had carefully constructed during the many, many months that he and Saber had spent with the Space Knights. The one that he’d been working to strengthen all throughout the time that Spear had been attacking them; the one that allowed him and Saber to function as fairly normal people. As the walls around his mind came down, and he began to catch bits of Saber’s surface thoughts, Slade hoped once again that he wasn’t going to regret doing this.

 

0101001011

 

Standing at the top of one of the many high, thin rock formations that she had been flying over not so very long ago, Shara concentrated her telepathy on calling out to her two brothers; the only family that she had left, at this point.

 

 _(Ness, Cain, I’m here; please answer me.)_ She had called out for her brothers several times during the course of her flight, but there had always been some kind of interference; Shara suspected that she knew what it was, but now that interference was gone and she had a definite chance of contacting them this time.

 

“There you are; I’d hoped you would have had the sense to land quickly, little sister,” said the gentle voice of someone that she’d been hoping not to meet during this last leg of her journey. “Come on; if we leave now, I’m sure I will be able to convince Lord Darkon to put you back inside the Tekno-system, and we can forget this whole thing ever happened.”

 

She knew that she couldn’t really hope to fight the… the Teknoman that had once been their elder brother, not in her condition, and not when he had all of Conrad’s experience and natural talent in combat. There was really only one thing she _could_ do in this situation. She heard the Teknoman calling out to her, heard him telling her to wait, demanding to know where she was going and what she was thinking, but she wasn’t about to answer him.

 

There was nothing that anyone could say or do; nothing would change what had happened, nothing would bring the other members of her family back.

 

Shara knew that she wouldn’t likely be able to land anywhere, not with Darkon’s Teknoman following her so closely. Her only hope was to call out to Ness and Cain; to hope that her two elder brothers would be able to protect her from the monster using their eldest brother’s voice. Pushing all she had left into her thrusters, Shara opened her telepathic powers as far as she could, reaching out to Ness and Cain with all of the mental strength she could summon.

 

 _(Please; Ness, Cain, I can’t do this on my own. I need your help,)_ she called, feeling the drain of using her thrusters as it ate away at her. _(Please, come quickly.)_

 

She could still sense him, Darkon’s Teknoman, drawing closer to her with every breath she took; she could only hope that Ness and Cain, the only members of her family that she would ever be able to trust again, would come to her aid quickly. She knew that she wasn’t likely to win a direct confrontation with… Darkon’s Teknoman; not with all of the advantages that he had.

 

Not when she was still so weak from transforming without food, and then flying for so long without rest on top of it.

 

00100101001

 

When he heard Shara’s voice inside his mind, when he felt the slow-building fear that she was inadvertently transmitting to him as she presumably tried to stay one step ahead of Spear, Slade couldn’t quite stop himself from tensing in his seat. He knew, just as well as anyone else inside the Blue Earth, that wishing for the ship to go faster wouldn’t do anyone onboard a single bit of good. Ringo was flying as fast as he could in atmosphere; Slade would remind himself of that whenever his desire to see Shara again – to save her, to finally have her beside him; to have just one more piece of his family back after what the Radam had tried to do to them all – threatened to get the better of him.

 

 _(Shara, he hasn’t hurt you, has he?)_ he asked; he knew how Spear acted, he knew that their older brother _said_ that he didn’t want to hurt either of them, his actions earlier today had proved that that was just one more lie from Darkon’s attack dog.

 

It had just proved that you could never trust a Radam Teknoman to be anything but evil.

 

 _(No; he hasn’t hurt me, but he’s closing in, and I don’t know how long I’m going to have the strength to stay ahead of him. I can sense you and Cain, though,)_ Shara said, and Slade could almost see their younger sister smiling at him. _(I know that I can count on the two of you.)_

_(Yeah,)_ he said; Slade found himself wishing once again that the Blue Earth could move faster, so he took a deep breath and reminded himself that Ringo was pushing the ship for all she had.

 

They _would_ get there in time to save Shara, he’d told himself that every time that the Blue Earth seemed to be moving too slowly; every time that Slade had found himself wishing that the ship would move faster.

 

 

“Shara, there you are.”

 

Looking up when she heard that kind, gentle tone – one that she would have been happy to hear, if this had actually been her brother and not some Radam wearing the same face – she saw the armored form of Teknoman Spear staring down at her.

 

“I’m sure this must all seem very strange to you, little sister,” Spear said; Shara could almost see the gentle smile that he was probably wearing under that helmet of his, and it made her feel sick inside. This _wasn’t_ Conrad, but anyone who had known him could have almost been forgiven for thinking that this Teknoman would be something like her gentle, stern, protective older brother. “Still, this isn’t the place to discus things like that. Come with me; I’ll take you up to the Space Ring so you can rest.”

 

There was clearly something that Spear wasn’t saying, and even if she _hadn’t_ known what it had cost her to escape from the Teknosystem when she had, Shara would have known that _something_ was off. “I’m not going back with you,” she said, knowing that Spear wasn’t likely to leave it at that, but not wanting to provoke the Teknoman if she could at all avoid it.

 

Not when she had so little strength left; not when she didn’t know just when and where her last two brothers were going to come to her aid.

 

“Don’t be silly, Shara,” Spear said, dismissing what she had just said with unnerving ease. “There’s nothing for any of us here, anymore. Just come with me; I don’t want anything else to happen to you.”

 

It would have almost been easier if Spear would have attacked her, then she could have fought. She might have been driven into a corner, forced to fight for her life until she was either completely drained of energy or Ness and Cain came to her rescue. But now, hearing the gentle voice of her older brother – what the Radam had left of him, anyway – speaking softly to her as he tried to coax her to go with him… It was the hardest thing that she had done since she had made her escape from Darkon’s ship.

 

Turning without another word, or even a look back, Shara flew as fast as she could; her only real chance was to run, and hope that Ness and Cain would catch up to her before Spear did.

 

1110100100

 

“ _Another_ Teknoman?!” Ringo demanded. “How many are there?!”

 

“Well, it seems like _you’re_ back to your old self,” he heard Saber say, and Slade could easily picture the amused smirk on his younger twin’s face.

 

“Yeah, no thanks to your big brother,” Ringo said, sounding annoyed.

 

Slade winced. “They didn’t tell me how badly you two were doing, or I would have been out there a lot sooner.”

 

“Relax, Slade; even if you _had_ been there, you’d have been busy taking care of Saber once his time ran out,” Ringo said.

 

“I guess,” he said; knowing that it was true but not really wanting to say it so bluntly.

 

“Hey you, remember: you can’t be everywhere at once,” he heard Star say.

 

It was true, and he knew that Saber probably wasn’t particularly happy with him for going on like that, but Slade had long since learned that his feelings weren’t particularly susceptible to reason. He didn’t think anyone’s were, really.

 

“We’re picking up strong energy-readings just up ahead,” Star reported, just as Slade felt the sense of Shara and the Teknoman that used to be Conrad slamming into him like an almost physical impact.

 

“They’re just up ahead,” he said, not really paying much attention to what Star was saying, anymore. _(Shara, we’re here now. You’ll be all right, baby sister. Just stay strong.)_

_(I will; just… come quickly. I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to hold out. C-_ he _isn’t angry right now, but you both would know better than I do just how volatile he is.)_

_Yeah,_ he thought to himself, as the Blue Earth drew close enough for him to see the flares from Shara’s thrusters as she tried to outrun Spear. He knew it wouldn’t be long before their older brother spotted the Blue Earth, or else sensed him and Saber coming, and they were forced to engage him. Still, it might be better for the three of them if _they_ forced _Spear_ to engage, first.

 

They’d done it in the past, though Slade didn’t particularly like thinking about the outcome of that; still, under the circumstances he was more than willing to try again.

 

 _(Saber, let’s go,)_ Slade said, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before Spear took notice of them, and not wanting to wait any longer to go out and help Shara.

_(Right behind you, brother,)_ Saber said, and Slade could hear his younger twin’s footsteps on the deck as he got back to his feet.

 

“Good luck out there, you two,” Ringo said, as the two of them passed him at a jog on their way to the air lock.

 

He heard call back to their fellow Space Knight, but at this point Slade was a lot more focused on where he and Saber were _going_ to be – that is, in battle with Spear to rescue Shara – than on where they were right now. Maybe not the best of mindsets, but under the circumstances he felt that anyone would be willing to cut him some slack. Anyone who knew him, anyway.

 

“Pegas, power on!” he shouted, hearing the big mech’s acknowledgement and his younger twin’s calling on his own transformation almost at the same time.

 

As the energies rushed through him again, Slade could almost _feel_ his awareness expanding to take in the two Teknoman who were fighting each other in front of him, as well as the one flying into battle beside him.

 

 _(Well, brother, here we go,)_ he heard Saber say, sounding like he wasn’t quite sure if he was more worried about the situation in general or Shara in particular.

 

 _(Yeah; once more into the breach, and all that,)_ he responded, trying to sound more relaxed than he ultimately felt.

 

He didn’t think it would do much good, both since Saber knew him so well and because the both of them already knew just what it was that they were getting into, but Slade felt compelled to make the effort all the same. It still didn’t feel right when Saber was tense; he always felt almost compelled to try to help his younger twin under those circumstances. He didn’t know if the reverse was true, but then Saber always _had_ been stronger than him that way.

 

 _(I guess you’re right,)_ Saber said, as his younger twin joined up with him on Pegas’ back and the three of them dove down to confront Spear.

 

He was fully aware that their brainwashed elder brother knew they were coming, that he couldn’t help but know after they had both transformed so close to him, but here and now Slade didn’t care. One of the few remaining members of their family was in danger, and he wasn’t about to leave Shara to Spear’s warped conception of mercy.

 

 _(Let’s_ finish _this,)_ Slade said, gritting his teeth as he looked down at Spear’s armored form, staring up at them.

 

_(No arguments here.)_

 

“Pegas, tri-attack mode,” he ordered, voice as calm as he didn’t feel right now. “Stand by to fire.” _(Saber, take about two steps back; Pegas is going to be reconfiguring a bit for this.)_

_(Will do, brother,)_ Saber said, and Slade heard the sounds of his younger twin’s armored feet on metal as Saber moved back.

 

Slade could almost picture what was happening behind him: according to Mac’s description of the changes they’d made to Pegas’ general configuration, a platform for Saber to stand on – a platform that would put his younger twin’s upper-chest just above the top of Slade’s own head – was rising up from just behind the place where Slade normally stood on the big mech’s back. According to what Mac had told him, there was a pair of restraining clamps on the platform, to help hold his younger twin in place while Pegas was maneuvering; Slade could hear the whirr of machinery as Pegas converted into the new form that the Commander had designed and then Mac had built.

 

He could see Spear taking to the air in front of them and some distance below, and Slade made it a point to strengthen the mental walls between his own mind and that of Darkon’s armored attack dog; he wasn’t interested at all in anything that _Spear_ had to say.

 

 _(Get ready, Saber; this is the big one,)_ he said, already beginning the charging process for his Tekno-bolt.

 

He felt it when Saber did the same. _(Yeah.)_

_Let’s hope this works better than the last time,_ he didn’t say. He didn’t want to entertain the possibility that this wouldn’t work, but he hadn’t wanted to entertain the possibility that Spear had had something that could do more damage than a Tekno-bolt; he still remembered how _that_ had turned out. Taking a deep breath that he didn’t really need, Slade felt the energies roiling inside his armored body reach their peak.

 

 _All right; this is it,_ he mused, as he, Saber, and Pegas all fired their respective energy weapons at the same time.

 

Even _his_ enhanced vision wasn’t able to pick out Spear’s armored form once the light from their combined weaponry had hit the Radam Teknoman, but the screaming that Slade could pick up just on the edge of his enhanced hearing gave him at least _some_ hope that – even if Spear _was_ too tough to be killed even by what amounted to two-and-a-half simultaneous Tekno-bolts – their brainwashed elder brother wouldn’t be returning to cause them trouble for at least long enough for them to get Shara settled in with the Space Knights.

 

 _(All right, that’s done,)_ Saber said, bringing Slade’s attention back to the present rather than his hopes for the future. _(Let’s land this thing.)_

_(Yeah,)_ he said, smiling softly under his helmet as he let Pegas circle over the battlefield. “Pegas, resume standard configuration.”

 

“Affirmative.”

 

Sighing softly, still smiling in relief at the sight of Shara looking up at them from the ground as they settled slowly down towards it, Slade finally allowed himself to relax. _(Don’t worry, little sister. We’ll be there soon.)_

 

0001010010

 

As she watched that strange machine that Ness and Cain were riding on top of slowly transform until it looked just the way it had when they had flown it out of that ship that had brought them both here, Shara sighed as she allowed herself to relax slightly. She couldn’t _really_ allow herself to relax, of course, not with all that she had been through and all that she knew was still coming, but she was also fully aware that being tense had never helped anyone to resolve a problem. She also knew that Ness and Cain would be worried enough about her once they inevitably found out what was happening to her.

 

She didn’t want to make things any more stressful for them than they would be already.

 

As Ness and Cain’s large, flying platform landed and allowed the two of them to step off of it, Shara found – to her surprise – that the transformation it had gone through to fire that strange beam-attack that it had used on the Teknoman who had once been Conrad wasn’t the only one that it could undergo. It changed again, this time into a humanoid shape that almost looked like a crude attempt at reproducing a Teknoman.

 

Shara wondered what it could be for; that is, she wondered about it right up until Ness climbed _inside_ the strange robot to transform back into his human self. Cain still transformed like any other Teknoman would: dismissing his armor with a bright flash of light, inside a crystalline cage that matched the color of his changed eyes. She couldn’t quite help wondering just why it was that Ness and Cain used such drastically different methods to transform, but then decided that that wasn’t so important in light of the things she had to say to them.

 

She would ask if the topic came up, just to sate her own curiosity, but for the moment all that mattered was telling the last of her brothers just what they could expect from the Radam; all that mattered was that they knew how to save not only themselves, but the Earth as well.

 

Letting her own transformation fade just before the last of the energies around Cain had cleared, Shara abruptly found herself in the center of a warm, strong, two-sided embrace from both of her middle brothers. She almost couldn’t believe it; it seemed entirely too good to be true, that she would manage to not only escape from the Radam, but to find her way back to her brothers after all that they had been through. Shara almost couldn’t believe it; she must have said something like that, because the next thing Shara heard was Ness’ kind voice speaking to her:

 

“Believe it, baby sister, it’s definitely us.”

 

“Yeah,” Cain said, and when Shara looked at the younger of her two older brothers, she found that he was smiling at her in the same way that Ness was. “This is real, and you’re here, and we’re definitely happy to see you.”

 

“I’m happy, too,” she said, leaning into the embrace of her elder brothers for a few, long moments.

 

What she had to say next would be painful for all of them, and while there was no real way for her to avoid it now that she was here, Shara didn’t think that anyone could really blame her for wanting to postpone it just for a bit. Cain was gently rubbing her back, the way he had done so many times in the past, back when all of them had truly had each other to rely on, and she was grateful to both of her elder brothers for their support. Both the warmth of their strong arms wrapping around her, and the love that she could almost feel radiating from the two of them.

 

It was what made saying what she had to so very difficult; but then, there wasn’t really any part of their current situation that was _easy_ , she reflected.

 

Just as she had started to straighten up, before she could actually begin to _say_ anything, Shara found the weakness that she had been holding at bay through sheer force of will hitting her with a force that almost took her breath away. It would have probably knocked Shara off her feet, if not for the support that Ness and Cain were providing her by being so close. As it was, though, it still caused her to collapse into the circle of her elder brothers’ arms.

 

She knew that there was no way to avoid worrying Ness and Cain, knew that they would both want to know what had happened to her, but for the moment she was far too tired to care. The sound of Ness and Cain’s worried voices followed her down into the darkness, and Shara wished with her last few moments of lucidity that none of this had happened.

 

1101001001

 

It felt like every part of his body had been burned. The sheer pressure of his younger siblings’ combined Tekno-bolts had crushed in on him even as the energies had burned him in their wake, and for a few, too-long moments, Spear was honestly surprised to have lived through that assault. There was even a part of him, unacknowledged and all the more insidious for it, that wished he hadn’t.

 

Crushing those useless and near-treacherous thoughts with the ease of long practice and the determination that such had instilled in him, Spear laboriously forced himself to roll onto the front of his body, and then pushed himself up off of the ground. Shifting until he could at least kneel, even if he _did_ feel unaccountably battered and weary from the effort, Spear found that his mount had tracked him to this desolate place where he had been thrown after the combined Tekno-bolts from Cain and Ness had rained down on him.

 

“Thank you.” Patting the creature’s head as it nuzzled against him, Spear levered himself up and crawled onto its back as it hovered before him.

 

The tension that had been keeping him on his knees bled out of Spear’s body rather quickly after that, leaving Spear to slump onto the back of his mount even as the creature’s tail curled up around him to provide the stability that he would need during this journey more than any of the others that he had made before, Spear closed his eyes. He didn’t weep, but that was only because he was physically incapable of the action while he was transformed.

 

The transformation altered one’s body on a fundamental level; not only layering armor over the Teknoman’s comparatively vulnerable body, but altering the biostructure of that selfsame body to act as another layer of armor in and of itself. His eyes, therefore, were currently composed of the same clear, crystalline substance as that which made up his visor; though it was red-tinted as opposed to the pale green of his visor. As he was, transformed like this, he could merely widen and narrow his eyes, and even then he could not truly close them at this point.

 

Still, given the events of this most harrowing of days, Spear knew that he would indeed be weeping once he reached the Space Ring; once he had the chance to release his transformation and rest for a time.

 

There was no denying it, not after the way Ness and Cain had attacked him; not after they had not even deigned to _listen_ to him when he tried to speak to them: they would not be persuaded. He would have to _force_ them to return to Lord Darkon; he would need all of his considerable power to do so, and more than likely whatever enhancements Lord Darkon saw fit to provide him with.

 

He would need to force his younger siblings to heel; to beat them down with his superior powers and combat prowess, before he would ever be able to bring them back home.

 

As his mount wrapped its long, flexible tail around his torso and Spear curled his own right arm around that tail in turn, he sighed in mingled sorrow and exhaustion. It would not be long before he would be called upon to fight once more, Spear knew, so he would have to rest and prepare himself for that eventuality. And, as much as he hated the idea, Spear now knew what he would need to do.

 

His next battle with his younger siblings could not be allowed to end in his defeat.

 

010100101001

 

When they had finally made it back to the Command Center, after having hurried Shara back into the Blue Earth and held her as Ringo and Star had taken off and flown, Slade had to almost physically restrain himself from running right into the hospital room where she had been taken. He was grateful to his younger twin for being there with him – Slade honestly didn’t want to think about how badly he would probably be doing if he’d had to face this kind of thing alone – and he leaned into Saber’s right side as his younger twin wrapped his arm tightly around his shoulders.

 

The worst part of it was that Shara hadn’t even been injured; Spear had been more intent on chasing her down and talking, rather than actually trying to attack her; it was just what he had tried to do with the two of them.

 

Shara was laying in the same bed that Saber had lain in, all those months ago when his younger twin had been slammed into the Blue Earth’s hull and nearly had his skull cracked open.

 

“Shara, you can’t die; not like this. Not now; not when we’ve just met again.” He hadn’t really been aware that he was actually speaking, but he must have been, since he felt Saber’s arm tightening around him. Leaning as far as he could into his younger twin’s side, Slade tried not to think about what could be happening to Shara.

 

He didn’t _know_ what could be happening to Shara; it wasn’t as if she had been injured during her flight from Spear. He _hated_ not knowing; he hated it more than anything.

 

“Rest assured: the medical-staff are doing all they can to determine the cause of your sister’s collapse,” the Commander said. “Slade, Saber; we’ve come across records concerning a Dr. Carter. Something happened to Dr. Carter’s ship while he was investigating the moons of Jupiter, is that correct?”

 

“That’s right,” Saber answered; Slade could have sworn he swallowed his own tongue at hearing the Commander say that, of all things. “Though, I really don’t know why you’re talking about something like _that_.”

 

“We also know that he had his daughter and his four sons along with him, and that his middle sons were identical twins; one named Ness, and the other Cain. You and Saber; you’re Ness and Cain Carter, aren’t you?”


	23. In the Beginning

It wasn’t, strictly speaking, a question that he needed to ask; however, seeing the reactions of both twins to the mere suggestion of their former identities was rather informative. The reactions themselves were as subtle as he had come to expect from the twins: Saber tensed just enough to be noticeable by someone who was observing them rather closely, and Slade’s expression hardened in almost the same manner as he had seen when the young man spoke about the Radam.

 

He was also certain of his conclusions because of the clear, physical resemblance between Slade and Saber, and the photographs that had been included in the dossiers of the Argos’ crewmembers. Even Saber’s blue eyes, as distinctly different from both Slade’s bright green and Ness and Cain Carter’s blue-green as they were, could easily have been explained as a result of the Radam’s physical tampering. It would not, of course, have been the most obvious sign of such.

 

“Well, I guess you found us out,” Saber said, after a few, long moments of silence; however, the presence of the vector-forms of Slade and Saber’s teknocrystals appearing on their foreheads suggested that both twins had had far more to say to each other than to anyone else. “So; what now?”

 

“I believe I may be able to help fill in some of the other gaps in your respective memories.” He was starting to suspect, however, that such gaps were not present in the first place; it was only natural that one would not want to speak about matters such as that. “Particularly with regard to your father, and his mission aboard the Argos.”

 

“That rings a bell,” Ringo stated, looking thoughtful. “Wasn’t that some kind of an expedition?”

 

“The Argos was a deep-space exploration ship, sent out to map and study the moons of Saturn,” Maggie said. “It vanished without a trace; what happened has always been a mystery.”

 

“Correct, but I think it’s a mystery we may be close to solving,” he said, carefully watching the reactions of the twins to what he was saying. If they truly did not wish to speak about this, if it was truly too painful for them to recall even now, then he would respect their privacy. “You see, the mission was lead by Ulysses Carter, and his four sons were also on board: the identical twins, Ness and Cain Carter, as well as their youngest brother Samuel, and their eldest brother, Conrad.”

 

“Just what are you getting at, Commander?” Ringo asked. “That our boys here were part of – I mean, _are_ part of – the Argos’ expedition?”

 

“That _would_ fit, since Star already found out that Spear is Slade and Saber’s older brother,” Maggie said, turning to look at Saber with a commiserating expression; though it was clear that most of the young man’s attention was focused on Jamison himself.

 

“Yes, but it also leaves many things unexplained,” he said, stepping forward slightly; Saber’s stance tightened, and Slade stood to his full height. Neither of them seemed particularly unwilling to continue, however. “Like, what happened onboard the Argos. Only two people in this room have the answer to _that_.”

 

“It’s a long, and very ugly story,” Saber said, a half-smile on his face that looked far more bitter than amused.

 

“Even if we told you, you wouldn’t believe it,” Slade said, not even attempting to conceal his own bitterness the way Saber so often did. “There are times _I_ don’t.”

 

“Sickbay, here.” The voice of the head of the Space Knights’ medical staff – Dr. Jacob Berenson – cut through the growing tension. “The patient’s comatose state is deepening. She’s dangerously dehydrated, and severely undernourished at this point. I don’t know how long it’s going to be before she regains consciousness, but for the moment she’s going to need to stay in Intensive Care.”

 

“Thank you for informing us, doctor,” he said, once it was clear that no one else was in the proper frame of mind to say anything.

 

“Hey, why don’t I help you two move some beds into the waiting area, and you two can stay there for a bit?” Star suggested.

 

“Thanks,” Saber said, the smile on his face seeming far more genuine than it had before.

 

It was only natural that the two of them would wish to stay with their sister while she convalesced; particularly given their feelings for her, and how hard they had worked to save her from Spear. Suggesting that they wait closer to her rather than farther would do a great deal of good for their peace of mind. For that, Jamison found that he was grateful to Star for her consideration.

 

010010010

 

As she and Maggie helped to get Slade and Saber settled in the room just outside the ICU, Star found that she wasn’t surprised much at all by the fact that the twins didn’t actually have amnesia. It was something she’d begun wondering about, back when the two of them had been speaking to Dr. Random aboard his ship. Saber had said that they remembered, and now she knew just what he had meant by that.

 

“So, I guess we know why you and Slade never really liked talking about yourselves,” she heard Maggie say.

 

Turning to look back over her shoulder, Star saw Saber’s lips curl slightly upward in a small, bitter smirk.

 

“Yeah,” he said, looking down for a long moment at the bed that he was moving into place. “Look, I’m sorry for not-”

 

“Hey, it’s all right,” Maggie said, reaching over to gently squeeze Saber’s right shoulder. “It’s not like something that painful could ever be easy to talk about.” Saber smiled, a softer smile than Star had ever seen him wear before, as Maggie wrapped her left arm around Saber’s shoulders and leaned against him. “It _is_ nice to get to know more about you, though.”

 

Saber laughed softly, though not particularly happily, Star noticed. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

“Come on,” Maggie said, gently pulling Saber back until the both of them fell back onto the bed that they had maneuvered into place. “You’ve been firing on all cylinders practically all this week; I think it’s past time you got a chance to downshift.”

 

Judging from the expression on Saber’s face, Star wasn’t the only one amused by Maggie’s choice of words; trust a mechanic to think in machine-metaphors. Slade’s voice distracted her from any further musings she might have had on that topic.

 

“Star… Thanks; you know, for understanding.”

 

The expression on Slade’s face was so earnest, his bright green eyes so intently focused on her, that Star found herself smiling in response almost out of hand. “You’re welcome, Slade.” Sitting down on the bed opposite Maggie and Saber, Star gently tugged Slade’s arm, until he’d settled down on the bed next to her.

 

Together, she knew, the four of them would have the strength to deal with anything the Radam could send against them. Still, right now, they could all use some rest; they were all fairly on-edge at the moment.

 

10100100101

 

When he had at last managed to regain full, conscious awareness of where he was – and how he had gotten there – Spear was forced to push aside the sadness caused by his earlier revelations about his younger brothers; what he would need to do to the other members of his family.

 

_(Spear; I see that you are finally awake.)_

_(Yes,)_ he responded, half-closing his eyes; though he had been restored to full health in a physical sense, he was still uneasy. _(I await further orders.)_

_(Yes. I can sense that this is difficult for you, Spear; these_ are _members of your own clan that have turned against you. However, you must resolve yourself to this course of action. Your younger siblings have made clear their intention to stand with the people of this planet; you must do no less.)_

_(Yes, my Lord. I know,)_ he said, gaze falling to the floor of Darkon’s vessel as the realization of just what he was going to have to do to three of his younger siblings in an effort to quell their rebellion.

 

_(That is good; however, you must realize that this is an opportune time to attack. They are at their weakest, now. Vulnerable in mind and body. Go now, Spear; do as you must.)_

_(Yes, Lord Darkon.)_

 

He could no longer afford to show Ness and Cain – and Shara, now – the mercy that he had once done; he could no longer afford to be sentimental.

 

0010001010

 

As he lay down on the infirmary bed, trying to relax the way that Star had insisted he and Saber should do, Slade found that he couldn’t manage to turn off his mind. Even the meditation that he’d learned during the course of his martial arts training didn’t help, since that just served to remind him of what had happened to Grant Goddard; that, in turn, brought Slade’s attention firmly back to the present. Shara’s condition also weighed heavily on his mind, making it doubly impossible for him to relax.

 

 _(Tense as ever, I see,)_ Saber said, his younger twin’s usual wry good-humor seeming a bit more subdued than usual.

 

 _(You think there might be a reason for that?)_ he asked rhetorically, beginning to feel perversely relaxed from Saber’s gentle teasing; whatever name he went by, and whatever else happened to them, his younger twin would always be his irrepressible self.

 

That was good to know.

 

 _(Is there?)_ Saber asked, and out of the corner of his left eye, Slade could see his younger twin turning slightly to look at him.

 

 _(It’s- I guess I just can’t stop thinking about what happened,)_ he said, staring up at the lights of the room where the four of them were waiting. _(Now that the Commander told everyone.)_

 

It was kind of strange, the way staring up at the banks of lights reminded him a bit of the engines on the back of the Argos. Of course, given what the Argos had looked like from the back, he supposed that anyone could be forgiven for being a bit nostalgic under these circumstances.

 

“You’re so tense, Slade,” Star said, slinging her left arm around his shoulders as he leaned forward slightly to accommodate her. “Is there something else on your mind? Beside’s your sister’s condition, I mean.”

 

“Yeah, I guess there is.” He couldn’t really hide it anymore; it wouldn’t be fair to Star, after she’d stood by him all this time even _without_ knowing about his past. He didn’t know just how Saber felt about Maggie, but he didn’t think that his younger twin would object too much. “It was like something out of a nightmare.”

 

He could still remember – all too clearly – what had happened that day; when the Radam probe ship had dragged the Argos into itself. He’d seen the two ships fused together, just for a few moments, before the escape pod that he and Saber had been so unceremoniously shoved into had passed out of sight of the two ships.

 

“I suppose it might have been our own fault,” his eyes half-closed; he wasn’t really seeing anything in the Command Center’s infirmary, not anymore. “We opened Pandora’s Box.”

 

He could still remember when Conrad and Sam had been put into hyper-sleep; he’d held the hands of both his older and younger brothers as they had both been put under in their turn. Still, if he’d had any way to know what was coming, he would have insisted to anyone who would listen that at least the rest of his and Saber’s family be awake. At least then, they would have had the _option_ to run when the Radam had attacked.

 

For as much good as it had done any of _them_.

 

“If only we hadn’t explored that ship,” he muttered, wondering idly if the others were listening in on this conversation, or if Star was going to be telling them the salient points later sometime. “But, that’s what we were out there to do: investigate and explore.”

 

As he continued speaking, Slade found himself thinking more about the past than he had since the events had happened. Back to the last days of Ness Carter’s life, not that he’d known it at the time.

 

Ness had been excited, back then; seeing the ship appear in front of them, not knowing that it was going to mean the end of basically everything that he and Saber had ever known. Even their names would be changed, in the end.

 

It was painful to think about: those last few moments when he and Saber had actually had family aside from each other and a sister who was sick and receiving medical care. Still, it was perversely _more_ painful to think about what they had all had before; about the Carter family and all of the good times they had had together. Saber or Star would probably know why that was, but Slade could at least make a reasonable guess.

 

He was probably even right, not that he was going to ask.

 

Still, there were a few moments that stuck out clearly in his mind from those days, no matter how much he tried not to think of them: the sight of Sam’s pale pinkish eyes sliding closed as the sedatives took hold; Conrad’s calm, almost amused smile as he laid himself down inside the hyper-sleep chamber in preparation for his own sedation; Fritz’s complaints to anyone who would listen, and some people who wouldn’t, about the fact that he hadn’t been able to eat for the entire day when he was put into hyper-sleep.

 

Those might have seemed like strange things to remember, but they had stayed with him, even after all this time.

 

He found himself sitting up on the bed, not quite consciously remembering the decision to do so; but then, he had a lot of things on his mind at the moment. “That ship; it was the Radam, of course. One of their galactic probes. Maybe we might have been able to escape. But, naturally, we didn’t even try.” He looked down, gaze settling on the space between his feet even as he saw the events of Ness Carter’s life playing out before him. “It was Earth’s first verifiable contact with an alien intelligence, after all. It’s not every day that sort of thing happens; so of course we just couldn’t let it be.”

 

As he continued to speak, telling Star – and possibly the rest of the Space Knights – what had happened to him and Saber, back when they were still Ness and Cain Carter, Slade tried not to let himself think too much about just what he was saying. If he let himself think too much about the things he was saying, then he would inevitably start to feel them as well; he’d already had enough emotional upheavals for one day.

 

Now, if only he could lie to himself and say that he wouldn’t have any more…

 

“Stupid; we were so stupid.” Sure, just go walking merrily into hell; if there’d been any possible way for him to go back in time and meet Ness Carter, he would have punched his former self in the head, then dragged him and Cain Carter right off of that probe ship personally. “We were like kids on a fieldtrip. We never dreamed that it would turn into a nightmare.”

 

Still, that was just what had happened; sure, it had all _seemed_ to go smoothly at first: they’d walked into the ship, all of the teknopods dormant above their heads. They’d moved into the ship, the small lights that they had carried – little more than specially designed flashlights, really – playing over the walls and ceiling of the ship they were exploring. Ness Carter had been a bit wary of the place that he and the rest of his family were walking into, but that was only because it was so utterly _alien_ to his sensibilities.

 

Neither Ness nor Cain had had any way of knowing just what they were walking into.

 

Of course, _that_ was pretty much when everything had gone completely off the rails: the teknopods activating all at once – probably in response to all of the new stimuli they were receiving – and falling from the ceiling en masse. The crew had tried to run, at least those few of them who were even _awake_ to run in the first place; just Ness, Cain, their father, and Grant Goddard. Shara had stayed behind; their father had wanted her to wake the rest of the crew.

 

At least, back when they had all actually believed that they were exploring a deserted alien ship; not when they realized that they had all basically walked into hell. Still, the order had never been countermanded – there’d never been a chance for anyone to do so – so Shara had probably been caught while she was working. He might have thought about asking, but Slade already knew how much _he_ didn’t like talking about what had happened to all of them back then, so he wasn’t about to ask his own younger sister to relive something that he tried so hard to avoid thinking about.

 

“That was it,” he said, fist clenching at the memory of Ness Carter’s last, hopeless stand against the ring of teknopods that had surrounded him: he’d tried to shoot them, in the end, but that had proved to be almost more futile than running. “Before we knew what was happening, it was over. I know they got Shara and Conrad, but I still don’t know what happened to our younger brother Sam, or Conrad’s fiancée Katherine.”

 

“Your older brother was engaged?” Maggie asked, drawing his and Saber’s attention.

 

“Yeah,” Saber said, the smirk on his face looking about as bitter as Slade felt. “He and Kathy were going to get married just before we turned back from Saturn; just before the Argos used the gravity-slingshot.”

 

“That’s horrible,” Star said, biting her lip and looking down slightly.

 

“Yeah,” he muttered; he could still remember the smile on Conrad’s face when he had introduced Katherine as his fiancée.

 

They’d all been happy for him; Ness, Cain, Shara, and Sam. Ness and Cain had teased him a bit about that, and when they’d told Fritz about who their eldest brother was planning to marry, he’d gotten in on the teasing, as well. Sighing, Slade once again shoved the thoughts of Ness Carter and his life out of his mind. He wasn’t Ness Carter anymore; he probably never would be again.

 

It wasn’t something he liked to think about, but that didn’t make it any less true.

 

Feeling Star wrapping her arms around him, Slade leaned into her embrace and half-closed his eyes. He was grateful, to both her and Saber, for their silent support. Slade didn’t know if he would have been able to talk about this, otherwise.

 

“Once they trapped us aboard their ship and destroyed the Argos, we found out what the alien creatures were really here for: to turn all of us into Tekno-beings.” He gritted his teeth briefly, remembering the pain that they had all been through; the sound of Cain and Shara’s screaming as they were changed. “The ship we’d encountered was one of Radam’s probes; it traps sapient lifeforms and transforms them into Tekno-beings. The Tekno-process taxes the human body, to the limits of its endurance; a lot of us didn’t survive. The rest of us weren’t so lucky: our bodies and brains were altered; our minds twisted into… something _else_.”

 

Realizing then that he had tensed up again while he’d been talking, Slade just sat for a few moments and tried to relax while Star gently rubbed his back. He could feel the tension that had built up while he was talking slowly ebbing away, and Slade tried to breathe deeply again to try to calm himself down. After awhile, he managed.

 

“Thanks, Star,” he said, smiling slightly as the two of them continued to lean on each other.

 

Looking back up, he could see that Saber and Maggie were sitting up on the bed that the two of them had pushed into the room. They were facing him and Star, both of them against each other, and Maggie with her head resting against Saber’s left temple the way that Slade could remember doing so many times, himself.

 

“So, after you killed Gunnar, that just leaves you, Shara, Saber, and Spear,” he heard Star say, sitting back up with her right arm wrapped around his shoulders again. “How many more Teknomen do you think there might be?”

 

0001010010

 

“If there really are so many other Teknomen, wouldn’t Darkon have used them by now?” Ringo asked, looking around at all of his fellow Space Knights.

 

“Not necessarily,” Mac opined. “He could be holding them as a reserve-force, to be used later.”

 

“Well, there’s Slade and Saber, and then Gunnar. And Spear, and Shara. Should we count Darkon as a Teknoman too, or not?” Tina asked.

 

“How many other Teknomen are there?” Ringo asked, activating the intercom. “Would either of you know?”

 

“I’m not entirely sure,” Slade’s voice came back. “But I think there may be four, maybe five more.”

 

“Sir,” Tina turned a worried look to Commander Jamison. “We’ve just barely managed to hold our own against one of them. What would we do if all _five_ of these new Teknomen decided to hit us all at once?”

 

“You’re right, that _would_ be a headache,” Ringo said. “We don’t have enough place settings.”

 

“How can you joke about it, Ringo?” Tina demanded. “We’re talking about the fate of the planet here.”

 

“Calm down, everybody,” Mac said. “Whatever comes we’ll face it together, just like we always have.”

 

“Yes. There’s no point in worrying about what _may_ happen,” Commander Jamison advised. “And remember, we also have Slade and Saber on our side.”

 

“That’s something I don’t understand,” Mac said over the intercom. “Slade, how did you and your brother manage to escape in time to avoid the full effects of the transformation process?”

 

00100101001

 

“Because of Father,” Slade said sadly.

 

### “I don’t understand, I thought your father was in one of the teknopods himself,” Star commented.

 

“He was,” Slade said, turning a hard look on her. “But he was released before the rest of us. You see, our father didn’t survive.”

 

Saber sighed, taking up the narrative. “By all rights, he should have been dead when the teknopod rejected him. But Dad was tough, he wasn’t going to let something like that stop him,” Saber lowered his head, bangs falling over his eyes as Maggie cuddled closer to him. “At least… not for awhile.”

 

They were both remembering now, even as they spoke. Remembering how their father had given his life just to save the two of them. Remembering their harried trek to the remains of the Argos, their father’s parting words to them, and those endless months in the escape pod just waiting. Waiting to see if they would reach Earth before the Radam did, or even be in time to help.

 

“It was all gone; just like that,” Slade said, forcing himself not to tense up again; it wasn’t like anyone here didn’t already know just how hard it was for him to talk about this. “Our family; our life. Everything.”

 

0010100010

 

Behind the Plexiglas window that separated the rest of the Space Knights from those inside the medlab, Maggie and Ringo were just staring at their three friends with varying expressions of pity. Even Mac, the one who had tried so hard to keep himself in check while the twins had been relating the sad story of how they had come to be two of Earth’s last hopes for survival, was crying now.

 

It _had_ been one of the saddest stories that any of them had ever been “privileged” to hear; to have your entire family kidnapped by the aliens, and not killed but programmed by some kind of brainwashing to want to kill you. Or not even to want to, but to _need_ to; that had to be one of the worst things that any person could go through.

 

Especially people who seemed to have been so close to their family, they way Slade and Saber had so obviously been. This had to be killing the both of them, even in spite of the way they both seemed to want to hold on. For revenge if nothing else; or that was the way anyone could see that it had been.

 

Both boys seemed to have found new purpose in their lives since joining the Space Knights. It had been good for both parties to have found the other; the Space Knights had urgently needed the raw power and the intelligence that the boys could provide about the Radam and their creatures, and both twins had needed people in their lives to remind them of just what they were fighting for in the end. Both had been perilously close to forgetting that there was a world outside of what they fought against, and though they would have stood by the other in half a heartbeat and unto the end of the world, other people hadn’t mattered so much to them at the beginning.

 

Now, however, they were fully aware of just how many people’s lives depended on their own actions. Now they were ready and willing to fight not just for themselves, but for every person on the Earth; all of whom would have been in grave danger if the Radam were allowed to succeed in their plans. Now, they had a cause greater than themselves; something to give them strength on the hard road ahead.

 

00100100010

 

“We were stuck in that escape pod, helpless,” Slade said, staring at the edge of Saber and Maggie’s bed as Star cuddled him closer. “I’m not sure for how long, but it felt like forever. So I still don’t know when or from where Darkon showed up to take charge.”

 

“When we saw them attacking the Space Ring, we knew we had to do something,” Saber said, sitting up slightly and taking up the thread of the narrative again. “Of course, it wasn’t just because they were trying to invade the Earth. We were alone with our thoughts for who knows how long. And what we’d just gone through wasn’t something that anyone would want to talk about very much, I don’t think.”

 

“By the time we made it back to Earth, all we really cared about was destroying them. Taking the tekno-powers that they had given us and turning it against them. Cain and Ness Carter were gone. Only the Teknomen Saber and Slade remained.”

 

As Slade sat there, he thought again about everything that he and Saber had gone through just to get to this point. All the times that the two of them had been forced to fight against one of their friends or family members. The battles with Spear were at the forefront of his thoughts, since he was the one who they had had to deal with lately. But he also remembered the other, earlier battles.

 

“That was when we met up with the first of Darkon’s Teknomen: Gunnar. That’s also when we realized that no matter how powerful we were, stopping them wasn’t going to be easy. Still, when we saw what they had done to Gunnar, what kind of a monster he’d become, we knew that no matter what else happened we had to find a way to survive. To find a way to stop them.”

 

“The first fight didn’t go very well,” Saber said, smirking slightly at his own dark humor. “And then… Well, you know just as well as we do what happened next, don’t you Star.”

 

It wasn’t really a question, but Star answered it anyway. “Uh-huh. That’s when Ringo and I found you and brought you both back to the Command Center medlab.”

 

“Yeah; that’s pretty much how it went,” Saber said, his wry smirk looking a bit less strained now that everything was out in the open; or maybe Slade was just thinking of how _he_ felt.

 

He’d carried these secrets with him for so long, not knowing if he would ever be able to trust anyone but Saber with them, that it was something of a relief to finally be able to tell someone else.

 

“Slade, Saber; your sister’s pulled through,” Tina’s voice came over the intercom; Slade sat up, and was just peripherally aware of Saber doing the same thing just opposite him.

 

“When can we see her?” he asked, getting right to his feet; he might have wanted to see her as soon as he could, to finally know that at least _one_ other member of his family had made it through all right, but he was at least going to _try_ to listen to the Space Knights’ medical staff.

 

He at least knew that he could trust them to have his and Saber’s best interests in mind.

 

“Right now,” Star said.

 

Since no one seemed to be in any kind of hurry to contradict her, and since he was particularly eager to put his fears about what might have been happening to Shara to rest, Slade grabbed Saber’s hand and the two of them made for the Space Knights’ infirmary at a quick jog. He barely noticed that Maggie and Star had both fallen back a bit, and he didn’t think about it.

 

When he and Saber finally _did_ make it to the room where Shara had been put up during her stay, Slade found their sister sitting in the bed. She looked up right when they came in – right into his eyes, it seemed like – and Slade smiled. He almost didn’t care what else happened today – what kind of horrible thing happened out of what seemed to be the universe’s sick desire to punish him for whatever transgression that it thought he’d committed some time in the past of either of his lives – as long as he could just have this one, perfect moment.

 

00100010101

 

It was almost too much to believe: seeing Ness and Cain standing in the threshold of the door in front of her. Still, when the two of them hurried to her side, Ness on her right and Cain on her left, both of them embracing her almost as tightly as they ever had, Shara knew that she wasn’t dreaming.

 

“Believe it, baby sister, it’s definitely us,” Ness said, in response to something she couldn’t quite, consciously remember saying.

 

“We’re so happy to see you again, Shara,” Cain muttered, his breath warm on her neck, and one of his tears dripping down to land on her shoulder.

 

She’d never known Cain to shake; he’d always been just as strong as Ness, in his own way; the supple bamboo shoot to Ness’ unyielding oak, but she could feel him shivering just slightly, now. She hated the thought of what she was going to tell them now – what the transformation process had done to her, even after all of the effort that both of them had put into trying to save her from the Teknoman who had once been Conrad – but, in the end, _not_ telling them would be even more cruel. She wasn’t about to make them suffer that, just for her momentary comfort.

 

“I was so frightened; it was horrible,” she admitted; it wasn’t just having the twisted remains of their eldest brother hunting her, the soft voice of a person that she had trusted for her entire life now speaking those horrible words. Not just knowing that her older brothers would be forced to kill Conrad, and Katherine, and even little Sam. “This is all I really wanted: just to see the two of you, one last time.” She blinked back tears, feeling Cain shift slightly, and seeing him turn to look at her from the corner of her own left eye. “Just one more time, before the end. I knew that you two would be able to give me the strength I needed, to face what’s coming. I dreaded the thought of having to face it all alone.”

 

“What? Shara, you’re talking crazy, here,” Cain said, his arms wrapping more tightly around her, as if he was trying to change reality through sheer force of will; if she’d been a different person, she might have believed that he could do it.

 

Even so, she still wanted to. “No, Cain; I’m not. There’s nothing you, Ness, or anyone can do. You see, it won’t be long before I join father.”

 

She felt Cain’s and Ness’ arms wrapping around her from both sides, and while she was grateful to know that they would both be there to support her, she was still sad that she would end up needing it so much. None of this should have happened to any of them.


	24. Shara’s Secret

He almost wanted to laugh; that was what Cain would have done, what _Saber_ would have done. Just laugh, and laugh, until he started crying, screaming, or choking. He didn’t particularly care which at this point. The sound of the infirmary doors sliding open once again, bringing Slade’s attention back to the present before the hysterical laughter bubbling up in the back of his throat could become anything more than a momentary discomfort, was both a welcome thing for him, and kind of annoying at once.

 

Still, he supposed that hysterical, nigh-maniacal laughter wasn’t really the best thing for someone’s peace of mind.

 

“My complete transformation didn’t take; I’ll end up just like Dad.”

 

He heard Saber’s sharp intake of breath, then his younger twin sighing. Digging the fingernails of his right hand into his lower-thigh, just above his knee, Slade tried all the harder to swallow the hysterical laughter bubbling up at the back of his throat. He knew that it wouldn’t do anyone any good if he broke down now, of all times. When the doors opened and the rest of the Space Knights came in, Slade tried to breathe more deeply in an effort to calm himself down.

 

It was much easier to think of than to do; it still felt like there was something stuck in his throat.

 

“What’s going on in here?” Ringo asked. “Saber? Slade?”

 

“Fate is a cold-blooded, sadistic _bitch_ ; and I think she has my number,” he said, his voice quavering with the effort of swallowing back the mad laughter bubbling up at the back of his throat.

 

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Mac asked.

 

None of them really had anything to say to that; not him, not Shara, and not even Saber.

 

“We don’t want to intrude, but we’re like a family here,” the Commander said; Slade would have smiled if he hadn’t still felt like his throat had been filled with broken glass. “And, if something is bothering you, then we’d like to help. Shara? Saber? Slade?”

 

“You see, the reason that I came is to tell you all about the trees that Darkon has sent to the Earth: they’re his secret weapon.” Shara said, bringing his attention – and probably Saber’s, too – back to the here and now.

 

He hated the here and now, but it wasn’t as if hating it would do any good.

 

“We’ve been studying them; they seem harmless, given everything we know,” the Commander said, as calmly as he ever had.

 

“Yes; that’s what he wants you to think.”

 

Shara seemed to be trying to turn so she could sit on the edge of the bed, or else she wanted to stand up, so Slade moved to help his and Saber’s sister get comfortable again, even as he saw Saber doing the same from the other side. He almost asked Shara if she was doing all right, but that would have been a stupid question for any number of reasons; all of them completely obvious.

 

“Shara, is there anything we can do for you? Anything at all.”

 

0101001010

 

“Thank you, Commander Jamison, but I’m afraid I don’t have much time left.” She was grateful that Ness and Cain had managed to find such kind people to take them in; with everything that had happened to them in the past – and given everything that was _going_ to happen to them in the future – they deserved all the kindness they could find. “That’s why I _must_ tell you about Darkon’s master plan: if those plants are allowed to keep growing, the Earth will be overrun by the Radam.”

 

“Can you tell us exactly what the trees are designed to do? They don’t seem to affect anything.” The Space Knights’ Commander said; he seemed like such a calm, reasonable person.

 

It was an almost painful reminder of their father. “They _will_ , after the flowers start to bloom.”

 

“Flowers?” the blond Space Knight, standing at the front of the group with their Commander, asked.

 

She knew that it was a strange thing to consider, that flowers could be dangerous to anyone; but she knew better than anyone just how badly appearances could deceive someone who hadn’t been forced to face the full horrors of the Radam for themselves. She just hoped that she could stop this horror, even if she _wouldn’t_ live to see the end of it. “That’s right; and, when they bloom, it’ll be all over. And the same nightmare that happened to me, Slade, Saber, and our family will happen to all of you; one by one.” She could almost see it happening, in her mind’s eye; the nightmare image that had haunted her ever since she had recovered her own mind inside the teknopod that had all but devoured her: “They will cover the entire Earth; and when the flowers bloom, the pods from the trees will envelop every living human, and transform them into Radam slaves. They will use the people of this planet to invade other worlds, and enslave other lifeforms.” It had happened before: the Nandorians and the Shir’ana were only two of the peoples who had been entirely enslaved by the Radam, though they _were_ admittedly the ones most often used to make Teknomen. “They won’t stop until they’ve conquered the entire galaxy.”

 

Darkon himself was a Nandorian; and, though she knew that not many people would have understood why she felt the way she did, Shara found that she felt sorry for him. Not Darkon himself, of course, but the host: the innocent Nandorian whose body Darkon had stolen. She didn’t even know his name, but she knew that he had to have been suffering just as much as any one of them.

 

Maybe even more: Nandorians were creatures of open grasslands; they spent their days hunting their next meal, or farming the foods that they had once traded for passage on space ships, or working the metals that some of them had once mined. Of course, all of that had changed once the Radam had discovered them. Just like things had changed for Earth, now that the Radam had discovered _them_.

 

Still, Shara knew that Ness and Cain – they would never really be Slade or Saber to her; just like _she_ would never be Teknoman Dagger – were as determined as she was to make sure that humanity didn’t share the fates of the Nandorians or the Shir’ana; and she knew that her older brothers had a much better chance than her of making sure that nothing like that happened.

 

Still, she at least had to make sure that the Space Knights truly understood the creatures that they were facing: “The Earth, and life as we know it, will be forgotten.”  


“We’re not going to allow that to happen,” the blond Space Knight said.

 

“You’re going to have a tough battle ahead of you: Darkon has already hatched four new evil Teknomen.”

 

 _(Three guesses who those are,)_ Cain’s mental tone was almost as bitter as his laugh; it almost sounded like a dog barking.

 

“Looks like we’re about to have more trouble,” the blond Space Knight said. “Darkon’s just cooked up four _more_ super-fiends.”

 

Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have liked to hear her eldest brother described like that; but Spear wasn’t her brother. “The four new Teknomen are Axe, Rapier, Lance, and Sword. They’re about ready to head toward Earth.”

 

“Where are they currently?” the Space Knights’ Commander asked.

 

“Close; _very_ close,” she said, shuddering again at the thought of just _how_ close Darkon and all of his forces actually were.

 

“How close is _close_ Shara?” Cain asked, clearly trying to be kind; it was still obvious that he and Ness wanted to know the answer to that question just as much as any of the Space Knights that they worked with.

 

“They’re inside Darkon’s moon base.” She breathed deeply once, gathering her remaining strength for what she was going to have to say next. “After Father was certain that you and Cain had escaped, he self-destructed the Argos. The explosion damaged Darkon’s vessel, and it was forced to make an emergency landing on the moon’s surface. Darkon’s ship, like any of the Radam’s ships, is more than just a machine: it’s a biomechanical organism that is programmed for self-repair. In the mean time, he’s using the ship as a command center for the invasion of Earth.”

 

“I never knew what happened to the ship,” Ness muttered, sounding as if he was angry with himself for not finding out more; he really did tend to take too much on himself. She was glad that Cain was still with him; the two of them had always acted to balance each other out so well. “And, all this time it’s been Darkon’s secret base on the dark side of the moon.”

 

“That would explain why no one ever managed to find it,” Cain said, sounding thoughtful. _(I guess it also explains why Slade and I were so… obsessed with the moon back then. Bastard was calling to us.)_

 

Wrapping her right arm around Cain’s neck, and her left arm around Ness’, Shara tried to comfort them as best she could; she didn’t like to think of that, the fact that Darkon had still been calling out to her older brothers even _after_ they had managed to escape him, but it seemed like something he would do. Darkon wasn’t the type of creature who could ever allow something that he considered his to be outside of his control.

 

None of the Radam were, really.

 

011001010

 

It had been so long since he’d been aware of his body, that Axe had almost forgotten that he’d _had_ a body to be aware of in the first place. Now, however, with the chamber he’d been confined in for so long that he’d almost forgotten himself bursting open, Axe found that he was both relieved and rather curious about what was going to happen next. After all, there was little chance of them being awakened in full armor like this without a very good reason.

 

When he stood up on his own feet again, armored as they were at the moment, Axe found himself taking stock of his current situation: there were three others standing to the left of him; and, after a few moments of contemplation, Axe found that he could recall just who it was that he was looking at. Just to his left, tall and lithe, with pale-colored armor and a prominent spine on his chest, was Lance; next to him, almost as tall, but with smoother lines to her armored form, was Sword.

 

He couldn’t quite see the last member of their little group – he was at the wrong angle for that, and their fourth was too short to see over Lance’s and Sword’s heads in any case – but Axe knew that he was there: Rapier, the youngest of them; the little rabbit he’d trained so well.

 

Feeling the subtle, not-quite-telepathic pressure on his mind, Axe turned with the rest of their new group. Standing just before them, his red eyes glowing through his dark visor as he regarded them all, was Lord Darkon himself.

 

_(Axe, Lance, Sword, Rapier.)_

_(We hear your commands, Lord Darkon,)_ he said, bowing his head respectfully.

 

 _(We await your orders, mighty Darkon,)_ Lance answered in his turn.

 

 _(We exist to serve you, Lord Darkon,)_ Sword said, her tone as respectful as any of theirs.

 

 _(We live to carry our your will, Lord Darkon,)_ Rapier said; Axe smiled slightly.

 

The little rabbit had clearly learned his lessons well.

 

_(It is good to know that all of you are awake; however, as you may have already realized, this is not an occasion for idle chatter. Slade and his traitorous twin brother are still alive, and they continue to hinder our efforts to expand our territory. I wish for you four to meet up with Spear so that you may handle this problem. Permanently.)_

_(Yes, sir,)_ he answered quickly.

 

 _(We obey!)_ Lance answered quickly.

 

 _(We will not fail you!)_ Sword called back.

 

 _(As you command!)_ Rapier answered.

 

As the four of them made their way deeper into the ship, toward the sense that he had of where Spear was, Axe reflected on their current circumstances. He wasn’t exactly pleased to know that two of his students had not only _attacked_ one of their own family members – not to mention one of his own students – but were even now attempting to defy the very being that had granted them both new lives and greater power than any human that had ever lived.

 

Axe couldn’t understand why anyone would reject that kind of power; the glory that Lord Darkon had offered them all, but he knew very well just how loyal Slade and Saber were to each other: where one of them went, the other was never far behind. They were going to have to deal with that – going to have to deal with _them_ – now that Slade and Saber had clearly chosen what side they were going to take in this war. And, knowing that Spear – that _Conrad ­_ – had been so badly injured in his efforts to bring the twins back to their family and the only people who would ever truly care about them…

 

Well, _that_ changed just about everything.

 

1101010001

 

As Shara pulled the two of them closer, Saber wrapped his left arm around her, and felt Slade doing pretty much the same on her other side. This wasn’t easy for any of them, so they were all doing their best to give each other strength. Didn’t mean he hated the situation any less; damn the Radam for doing this to them, anyway.

 

“Darkon is physically unable to leave his base on the moon,” Shara said. “You must attack soon; to destroy his ship, before the repairs are completed.”

 

“There might be some issues with that; particularly considering the four _new_ Teknomen he’s going to have to throw at us, and all the trouble we’ve already had with Spear.” He didn’t particularly _like_ being a killjoy, but well… there you had it.

 

“That’s correct, Saber,” the Commander said, nodding slightly to him. “If any of us go into this half-cocked, we’ll be no match for them. We’ll need to make some plans. Tina? We’ll need those charts.”

 

_(I know you always want to plan everything out, so there’s less chance of things blowing up in your face, but… I just don’t feel right about this.)_

_(Yeah; I know. Still, the last time we tried to take Spear on without working on a plan, he pretty much rammed it down our throats. And that was_ before _he had four more of… the others to call on. So, yeah; I don’t feel much better about giving_ him _any more time than we have to, but if we go off without a plan, then he’s probably going to kill us.) And that’s if we’re lucky,_ he added, silently in his own mind.

 

Slade laughed softly, once; it wasn’t a happy laugh. _(Well, you always_ were _smarter than me.)_

_(Just because you’re impulsive doesn’t mean you’re stupid,)_ he answered, leaning his left cheek against Shara’s head; none of them were quite at their best right now.

 

“Shara, do you have any other information that you think would be helpful to us, with regards to Darkon?” the Commander asked, looking down at the three of them with an expression that seemed kinder than the stoic one that he usually wore.

 

Saber was grateful for that; god knew they could all use a little kindness right now.

 

“I’m sorry, Commander Jamison, but I’m afraid I don’t know anything else,” Shara said; Saber wrapped his arm more tightly around her.

 

When he felt Shara tensing, Saber shifted slightly to let her lean more completely against his left side, and wished that he could do something more for her, somehow. Still, even if this _was_ all he could do – just sit beside his and Slade’s sister and try to give her at least _some_ of his strength – he’d give it his all just like he did with all of the important things in his life.

 

010100100

 

She could almost feel them; the four of them were awake now, under the command of Darkon. All of them: Mr. Goddard, Katherine, Shinji, and even Sam… they were all his slaves now, just like Conrad had become. She hated it; and she hated it all the more for the fact that she couldn’t do anything about it.

 

 _(This is probably a stupid question,)_ Cain said, his telepathic voice as soft and kind as anyone could ask for. _(But, are you not feeling well, Shara?)_

_(I can feel them,)_ she said; she wouldn’t have wanted to worry the only remaining family she truly had, but there wasn’t really any way to avoid that. Not with everything that was happening. _(The four of them are all awake, now.)_

_(I guess that explains the tensing,)_ Cain said, letting her lean her head against him; Shara sighed.

 

She could feel the weakness induced by her condition dragging her down almost like a physical weight; a stone around her neck.

 

“Shara, is there something bothering you?” the Space Knights’ Commander asked kindly; Shara sighed again.

 

“It’s nothing you can really do anything about, Commander Jamison,” she said, leaning more heavily on Cain as she felt the sheer fatigue that she had been trying harder and harder to push away with every passing moment. “Thank you, though, for your concern.”

 

“Do you want to lay back down, Shara?” Cain asked, the worry in his tone something that she hadn’t wanted to hear from any of the little family that she had left. “You seem tired.”

 

“Thank you, Cain,” she said, feeling her previous tiredness pressing down all the harder on her once more.

 

“C’mon,” Ness said kindly, standing back up. “We’ll help you get tucked back in.”

 

“Thank you,” she said, not liking the way she was forced to lean heavily on both him and Cain as she struggled to stand back on her own, two feet. “Both of you. I’m glad… that I could have at least one more day with the two of you.”

 

“We’re glad about that, too, Shara,” Cain said, though the smile on his face was more wistful than she had ever wanted to see on her cheerful older brother.

 

She tried to smile, just to see if she could help her older brothers – the _last_ of her brothers – feel better; they smiled back, but she could still tell that neither of them were particularly happy about the situation. She wasn’t, either, but she knew better than anyone here that nothing could be done about that. The only thing that any of them could do was to adapt.

 

1101001001

 

As he and the others finally made their way through Lord Darkon’s ship, Axe took a moment to orient himself with Spear’s mental signature once more. He knew in general where the four of them were going, but the sheer _sameness_ of the vessel could sometimes be rather disorienting. Of course, he could perhaps be excused for his lack of familiarity with the vessel they were all staying aboard, given the fact that he had just been released into the vessel itself merely and hour or so ago.

 

When his mental sense of where Spear was in relation to the rest of them grew strong enough that he could track on the actual direction that his oldest student could be found down, Axe smiled slightly under his helmet. Yes, there might have been a more dire purpose behind their release from confinement at this stage – and yes, one of his own students had been grievously injured by two of those who should have rightfully been on _their_ side – but having the chance to _move_ again, unconfined by the artificial womb that nourished him for so long…

 

He might not have known _precisely_ what any of the others were thinking, but Axe would have been rather surprised if they had felt any differently about the matter.

 

110101001

 

When she and the Commander had both settled themselves down in front of the workstations that the Commander had used when he’d worked on the virus that had got Ringo and Star into the AEM’s base so that they could help rescue Slade and Saber, Tina had wondered just what would happen next.

 

“It doesn’t look good, sir,” Dr. Fraun reported, bringing Tina’s attention back to the present from where she had gotten a bit lost in the simulations that she had been constructing.

 

“I see,” the Commander said; Tina squared her shoulders and tried to focus her attention firmly on what she was doing.

 

“Here lass, why don’t you drink some coffee?” Mac suggested, setting down a cup – creamed and sugared just the way he knew she liked it – by her left elbow. “You’ve been at this for quite awhile,” he continued, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him setting a cup down near the Commander, too. “Take a break, or you’ll go walleyed.”

 

“Thanks, Mac,” she said, glancing over at him.

 

“I had a talk with the doctors,” Mac said, she could see him standing just behind the Commander’s chair on his left-hand side.

 

“What did they say?”

 

Mac sighed. “I’m afraid Shara doesn’t have much time left.”

 

The Commander himself sighed, then. “What a shame; so young.” Tina felt the silence between the three of them stretching out, but she didn’t really know what someone could say to something like _that_. “It has something to do with the fact that her body rejected the Tekno-system.”

 

“Blasted plants,” Mac snarled.

 

“Yes, indeed,” the Commander said calmly.

 

“Do Slade and Saber know what’s happening to her?” Tina asked; she kind of suspected that she already knew the answer to that, but hearing it from someone with the Commander’s authority had always seemed to make things like that more _real_ , somehow.

 

Of course, sometimes that was a very good reason _not_ to ask questions like that.

 

“I’m afraid so,” the Commander said. “The medical staff says there’s not much they can do.”

 

“That’s awful; they must feel so helpless,” she said, turning back to her computer screen and trying to focus on it; these simulations that she and the Commander were working on together were probably their best chance of stopping Darkon before he and his forces could do any _more_ damage to Earth.

 

“I get it,” Mac said. “You wouldn’t have let either of those lads go out there even if Saber _hadn’t_ been all for staying here and planning things out. You knew that his sister’s condition was too unstable to trust to luck, so you didn’t want either of those lads to be too far away when the worst started happening. I’m sure they’d have been happy to know you’d been thinking about them, sir.”

 

She was pretty sure about that, too; still, Tina knew that the Commander wasn’t one to take any credit for things like that. Just like when he hadn’t said anything about why he’d developed the new weapons system for Pegas that had allowed Slade and Saber to finally beat Spear after all he’d done to them.

 

110101001

 

Sighing softly, the aches and pains in her body dragging her attention back to the nightmare reality she was being forced to endure, Shara opened her eyes. Her vision cleared almost immediately – yet another reminder that she wasn’t really human anymore – but the sight of her older brothers’ gentle faces helped to banish what little misgivings she had. At least, the ones that _weren’t_ related to the facts of her condition.

 

“Hey, Shara,” Cain greeted; his smile as gentle as it had ever been, but with an undertone of sadness that Shara would have given almost anything to be able to erase.

 

“Are you feeling a bit better now?” Ness asked; her eldest still-human brother’s expression was just the same mix of worry and kindness that she had seen on Cain.

 

“Not really,” she said, feeling her body slowly shutting down even as she continued to speak with the last of her brothers.

 

“Hi, Shara,” Star said, smiling gently. “Is there anything we _can_ do for you?”

 

She only had to think about that offer for a moment. “I want to go to the ocean.”

 

“Oh? Why there?” Star asked.

 

“Because, the ocean was where we all played together as children.”

 

For just a moment, with the three of them gathered together like this, Shara could allow herself the luxury of remembering how things had once been. She could even see, in her mind’s eye, the way her older brothers had looked when they were both ten; long before any of the horrible things that had happened to all of them were even a distant premonition. It was kind of painful sometimes, thinking about the times that they would never have again, but she often felt that _someone_ should remember those times.

 

The times when they had been happy; when their family had been whole.

 

“Let’s go, then,” Ness said, smiling a softer smile than she had seen from him since the two of them had met up with each other; Ness had been impulsive when the mood struck him, and she was glad to see that at least _that_ hadn’t changed about him. “We can go right now, if you feel well enough. What do you say?”

 

She loved the fact that the eldest of her remaining older brothers hadn’t changed so much that she couldn’t recognize him, but… “I think I’m well enough to go, Ness. But, I don’t want to go until it’s morning.”

 

“Why’s _that_?”

 

“Because, I don’t want to look at the moon,” she said, turning to lay on her side.

 

She heard Cain’s soft sigh, just before the younger of her two older brothers reached out and gently took her right hand in both of his. “That makes sense, I guess.”

 

“I’m tired,” she admitted, feeling the familiar and so very unwelcome lethargy beginning to steal over her once again. “I need to sleep.”

 

“We’ll stay,” she heard Cain say, his voice as soft and gentle as anyone could have asked for.

 

She wanted to say something in return, to at least thank Ness and Cain for the kindness that they and their friends had shown to her, but her failing body wouldn’t even let her do _that_. The only thing that Shara found that she was capable of doing, to let her older brothers and their friends know how grateful she was for the kindness that they were all showing to her, the _only_ thing that her failing body would allow her to do, was to smile at her older brothers and the women that they clearly wanted to share the rest of their lives with, up until the point when she lost consciousness entirely.

 

1010010001

 

As the four of them continued to make their way deeper into the ship, Axe himself in the lead, he at last began to sense Spear’s presence. It had grown stronger, both from the steadily decreasing distance that remained between their group and the place where Spear had been sent to recuperate after the clash with his traitorous younger twin brothers, and because Spear had clearly regained consciousness by this point.

 

 _(It’s good to have all of you here, even though I do wish the circumstances could be different,)_ he heard Spear’s telepathic voice, suffused with a weariness that he’d never thought to hear from one of his own students.

 

Particularly Conrad, who was the eldest of them; still, he’d have been the first to admit that the circumstances they were all being forced to deal with weren’t exactly easy on any of them. And, considering how seriously Conrad had taken his duties as the eldest sibling – particularly the part about guiding and protecting his younger siblings – it was bound to be harder on him than the rest of them. Axe _would_ do what he could to ease the burden on the eldest of his students, but in the end he knew that nothing short of Slade and Saber being brought back to their side would _truly_ help Spear’s overcome his depression.

 

So, that was what Axe was going to focus on.

 

When the four of them reached the teknopod that Spear had been convalescing in, arraying themselves in a neat semi-circle around the pod as it continued to pulse gently, Axe smiled. Sure, the coming events weren’t likely to be particularly easy on any of them, but with the five of them to Slade and Saber’s mere pair of Teknomen, the odds would be stacked a great deal higher in their favor.

 

In the end, that was really the best that one could hope for under these circumstances.

 

 _(How are you feeling, Spear? Well enough to leave?)_ he asked; while it _was_ true that Lord Darkon would want them to handle this situation with all the speed they could manage, Axe thought that he could at least offer Spear a _bit_ more respite before they were forced to engage the traitors.

 

Not so much that Lord Darkon would take notice and be displeased by the action, of course, but enough so that Spear would have time to gather his resolve.

 

 _(I think that would be best, yes,)_ Spear said, not sounding entirely happy about that, but also resigned to leaving; as they all were going to have to do soon.

 

The teknopod shuddered and burst, releasing Spear back onto the floor of the ship, where he quickly reversed his transformation. He stood there for only a few moments, a melancholy look on his face, before Sword all but threw herself forward – armor vanishing in a flash of red – to wrap her arms around Spear’s waist and kiss him deeply. He didn’t hear what the two of them were saying to each other, their telepathic conversation clearly closed to anyone else, but the signs of such a conversation were obvious to anyone who knew where to look for them.

 

 _(Not that I really_ want _to interrupt you two lovebirds, but I think we should really be preparing to leave soon,)_ he said, smiling wryly under his helmet.

 

 _(Yes, I guess you’re right,)_ Spear said, still stroking Sword’s hair gently as he continued to hold her. Kissing her forehead for a long moment, Spear forced himself away from Sword with obvious reluctance. “We _should_ get going now. We have a lot to do.”

 

“Well put, Conrad,” he said, making his way over to the young man so he could clap an armored hand on his left shoulder; Spear smiled in response, though he still didn’t seem entirely happy.

 

Axe didn’t need to waste time guessing why.

 

“Come on,” he said, turning his attention to Lance and Rapier. “Let’s get going; the sooner we get dressed, the sooner we can move.”

 

There were no words exchanged between the three of them, but the sound of armored footsteps on the hull of Lord Darkon’s ship let Axe know that he was indeed being followed. That was good; it was good to know that at least _some_ of those who had formerly been a part of the Argos’ crew understood discipline. Disobedience annoyed him; and really, what else was this little rebellion that Ness and Cain had staged but disobedience on a grand scale?

 

As he, Lance, and Rapier made their way to what remained of the Argos – preserved not only for posterity but for far more practical reasons – Axe resolved that he would give Conrad all the help that he needed in order to bring Ness and Cain back to where they belonged. It was _past_ time that those two acknowledged the responsibility that came with the incredible power that they had been granted.

 

He would see to it that they did so, and not only that, but also that the two of them made reparations for what they had done to Conrad; what they had done _wasn’t_ something that anyone was supposed to do to their own family.

 

1101010001

 

Even now, she could smell the gasses that the teknopods were releasing into the air; the way they were making things more comfortable – more _suitable_ – for the Radam Teknomen that they thought they were going to be breeding here. She hated that smell; it only served to remind her all the more of just how much the world had changed; just how much damage the Radam were doing to their home.

 

Still, even in the midst of all the changes – all the damage that the Radam’s invasion had done and continued to do – there were still some things that remained.

 

“I remember how we used to love to play in that old lighthouse,” she said, looking up through the mist at the lighthouse atop the cliff. “It sure doesn’t look the way I remember it, though.”

 

“It’s changed a lot; everything has,” Ness said, his sigh ruffling her hair in passing.

 

“I know a lot of things have changed,” she said; she couldn’t help but know, given what she had seen, and what she was smelling even now as they stood just on the edge of the beach. The scent of the teknopods _was_ at least being blown away by the clean breeze off of the ocean, but with… what she was now, she could still smell the scent of the teknopods. “But it still feels good to be out here; it reminds me of the good times we had together.”

 

The times when the three of them had still been part of a larger family; times that would never come again. No matter how much she wished that things could have been different.

 

“Come on,” she said, wrapping her arms around Ness’ left and Cain’s right. “Let’s go take a walk.”

 

“Of course, Shara,” Cain said, smiling. “Whatever you want.”

 

As the three of them made their way down the beach – the farther they could be from both the sight _and_ the scent of those horrible teknopods, the happier Shara would be – Shara tried not to wonder just how close Conrad and the others were to making planetfall again. They would come when they came; it was really best not to worry about that before it happened.

 

Worrying never helped anyone, she knew.

 

101010010

 

Sitting before the banks of computers, scenario after scenario playing out in the virtual space before him, Hamilton Jamison could not help but think back on what he had learned. Not only about the two young men who had come to the aid of the people of Earth when they had most needed it – though the price that they and their family had paid was not one that he would have ever wished on another living person – but what Shara had told him about the Radam. More specifically, the location of the leader of the invasion.

 

There had not yet been an expedition to the dark side of the moon; the Space Knights would be the first there, if he and Tina could make this work. When he allowed himself to think in that direction, Jamison felt that it was a rather sad thing that the first human landing made on that for-the-most-part-untouched surface would be an act of war rather than one of discovery.

 

Still, needs must; in the end that of all things still held true.

 

“Running contingency program for lunar assault: base-to-target retaliation; lunar ground assault; air-to-land missile assault.”

 

“All right, Tina,” he said, pleased with her diligence but wanting to explore other options all the same. “Now run the covert-ops simulation, and compare it with the other programs.”

 

Before he could say anything more, however, the comm. unit that had been placed in this room – so that he would not be out of contact with his people even when he was hard at work with simulations such as this – activated. However, it was not one of his own Space Knights displayed on the screen.

 

“Well Commander, hard at work?”

 

“I’m in the middle of battle-simulations, General,” he said, not particularly interested in whatever Gault might have wanted to say to him. “I’ll need to get back to you.”

 

Just as the fingers of his right hand were poised over the button that would deactivate this room’s comm. unit, Gault spoke again: “Oh, you’ll want to talk to me, when you hear why I’ve called. I have the Thunderhawk.”

 

“You have the _Thunderhawk_?” he echoed; he didn’t want to believe that even Xercese, with all of his arrogant pretensions, would be willing to use a weapon so terrifyingly powerful as _that_ monstrosity.

 

“That’s right, Jamison,” Gault said, his smile letting Hamilton know that – more than likely – the General wasn’t bluffing in this instance; would that he were.

 

0001010001

 

Feeling the sand squishing between her toes, over and over again as the surf she was standing in washed up above her ankles, Shara laughed happily as – for just a moment – she imagined that the rest of her family, even beyond Ness and Cain, was relaxing on the beach just behind her. It was a nice, happy fantasy; the kind that could only be truly sustained by willfully ignoring reality.

 

Still, reality was the only thing that she could actually _change_ ; so, even as hard and cruel as it was being to them all right now, reality was what she was going to concentrate on.

 

“Oh my, it’s so cold; but it feels good,” she said, the sound of her own voice bringing her attention fully back to the present. “Ness, are you and Cain having a good time?”

 

“Yeah,” Cain said; the fond, nostalgic smiles on both of her older brothers’ faces let her know that – even though Ness seemed not to want to break the mood that had settled over them by talking – the two of them felt the same way she did.

 

“The two of you seem to like spending time with those women I saw in the infirmary,” she said, thinking back to see if she could remember their names without prompting. “Star and Maggie, right?”

 

“That’s right,” Ness said. “Cain and Maggie are getting pretty close.” Ness paused for a moment, seeming like he was thinking hard about something. “Star and I, though… we’re jus- ow!”

 

Turning at the sound of Ness’ exclamation, she found Cain smiling in that way he did when someone had annoyed him; then he kicked Ness in the shin again.

 

“Ness, are you in denial again?” she asked, laughing softly.

 

“No.” Ness said, at the same time as Cain said “ _Yes._ ”

 

She laughed, and then again as Cain shifted, folding his left calf under his body, and began to write something in the sand. Ness didn’t seem to notice what Cain was doing, having fallen silent to stare out at the ocean the way he had been doing before the three of them had started talking. It was also something he did when he was embarrassed, so Shara was fairly sure that she knew just what he was thinking.

 

Or, what he was trying _not_ to think about.

 

When she turned to look back at Cain, Shara giggled softly as she saw what he’d written in the sand. There was an arrow pointing to Ness, and under it the word “doofus” was neatly spelled out. Ness looked confused for a moment, before he looked down at the sand next to him.

 

“You’re not funny, Cain,” Ness said, in that deadpan way he did when Cain had gotten one-up on him, but he didn’t want to admit it.

 

“If you say so, big brother,” Cain said, his tone and his smile both telling anyone who knew him that he was humoring Ness.

 

It was clear that Ness knew it as well, since he gave Cain a stink-eye.

 

She laughed softly. “Well, I hope everything works out for the four of you. I hope you and Maggie get to travel around the world together, Cain, just like you always wanted to. And Ness, I hope that you and Star get married and have lots of children.”

 

Ness looked away for a long moment, and Shara wondered what he could be thinking; the expression on Ness’ face was as blank as he could manage to make it. When Cain leaned against him, wrapping his left arm around both of Ness’ shoulders and letting Ness lean against him in turn, Shara knew that she had said something that would have been better left unsaid. She wished for a moment that she could take the words back, but that wasn’t the way the world really worked.

 

In the end, all she could do was sit down behind her two remaining brothers, put her hands on both of their shoulders, and try to think of a way to help them feel better.

 

Of course, there _were_ still a few things she could do right now. “Let’s not talk about those kinds of things right now, okay? Let’s just have fun.” She cast back for a happy memory, even shadowed as they all were by what had happened; what was _still_ happening. “We had a picnic, right here. Remember? All our food was out, and that big dog ate it up!” she laughed softly. “And then, Cain, you threw the pitcher of lemonade on it.”

 

“Yeah. And then I chased it off, remember?” Cain said, smiling so that his bright blue eyes crinkled up at the edges. It was so strange, seeing the younger of her older brothers with blue eyes. Still, she knew that things could have been worse; they could have easily been _so_ much worse. “I was all ‘you darn dog’!” Cain laughed lightly. “Remember that?”

 

“Yeah,” Ness said, chuckling. “Funniest thing I’d seen in awhile.”

  
1101010011

 

Standing in the shadow of the Blue Earth, Star looked out toward the beach where Slade, Saber, and Shara were all sitting together.

 

“What do you think they’re talking about?” she heard Ringo ask. “Can you hear anything?”

 

“No,” she said. For one thing, the three of them were too far away from where she and Ringo were standing. But, more importantly, she didn’t really want to intrude on their conversation. It was a rare thing; something just for the three of them, and Slade and Saber had already been forced to give up so much. “But they _are_ laughing, so they’re probably having a good time.”

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

 

She could tell that he was still curious about just what Slade, Saber, and Shara might have been talking about, but Star also knew that Ringo wasn’t about to try disturbing them to find out. Really, that was all she could ask for considering the circumstances. She was curious, herself.

 

101010010

 

Standing in what had once been the main room of the Argos, Spear found himself confronted by an odd feeling as he watched his youngest brother – little Sammy, hatched at last – carefully tucking the gray three-quarter sleeve shirt that he had picked out of the limited selection that he had brought for himself when they had provisioned the Argos for their journey into the dark blue slacks that he had chosen to offset it. He could not place it, not at first, but when he found himself almost unconsciously moving to stand sentinel over the youngest of his brothers, Spear began to recognize just what it was that he was feeling.

 

He felt… _hatred_. A deep, slow-building feeling that seethed inside him even as Spear clamped down on his telepathy so that he wouldn’t end up inadvertently projecting that horrible feeling to any of the other of his friends or the little remaining family he still had.

 

Examining the feeling for a moment, knowing that he could not fully regain his mental footing without knowing just what it was that had unbalanced him in the first place, Spear found that it was not his youngest brother that he felt such a disconcerting thing for. Of course not; he could have never harbored such a feeling even for Cain and Ness, not even now that his younger brothers had gone so astray. And certainly not for Sam, who was still here and at his side where he belonged.

 

Finding his eyes drawn to the back of his youngest brother’s neck, below where Sam’s spine linked to the base of his skull, Spear beheld the fitfully moving form of the small Radam creature that acted as a link for all of them. His hands were resting on Sam’s shoulders, and for a moment Spear wondered just when he’d moved them, but then he found his gaze drawn back, once more, to the form of the creature firmly attached to the back of his youngest brother’s back.

 

It was _wrong_ ; everything about this situation was wrong. Nothing like this should have happened in the first place, but… now that it had, there was really only one thing he could-

 

“How much time are you planning to spend thinking?” Axe asked.

 

Spear blinked harshly; _had_ he been thinking about something? He couldn’t quite remember. It was disconcerting, but before he could begin to think too much about that, Axe had spoken again.

 

“I know it’s kind of a problem, but it’s not something you need to agonize over,” the eldest of their group – the man who had trained every one of the members of his family into the fighters that they were now – said, smiling.

 

“Really?” he asked, smiling softly as he raised an eyebrow; really, whatever he’d been thinking, it couldn’t have been all that important.

 

“Really.” Spear allowed himself to be gently edged aside, as Axe took his place standing behind Sam. “You still remember how much Sam enjoyed collecting scarves, don’t you, Conrad?”

 

Spear laughed softly. “You know, after all that’s happened, I actually _had_ managed to forget about that.”

 

Axe ‘hmm’ed softly, a mildly disapproving expression on his face. “I suppose you _have_ been under more than your fair share of stress, lately.”

 

“Yes,” he muttered; thinking of Earth, and the twins, and all of the troubles he’d faced concerning the two.

 

Still, with the extra forces that he now had on his side, Spear knew that – one way or another – dealing with his and Sam’s wayward brothers would be a great deal easier from now on.

 

110101001

 

He almost asked Gault to repeat what he just said; almost unable to believe that even _he_ was willing to go so far for the sake of his ambitions. But he was not one to deny the reality before him; just as General Gault, it was clear now, was not a man to listen to reason. Or even to heed the voice of experience when it was presented to him.

 

“General, you _must_ know that to release a bomb of that magnitude is insanity! Reconsider!”

 

“I’m going ahead with it,” Gault said, the light of his own, dangerous brand of certainty in his eyes. “My scientists have informed me that, if we fire the Thunderhawk into the Space Ring, the entire structure will be destroyed by the reaction. It’s our hope that, when the structure of the Ring collapses, all of the aliens will be destroyed with it. Understand? Now, here’s where you come in: I want you and your Space Knights to distract the aliens just long enough to give us time to fire the missile.”

 

He turned away; this was just like Gault, jumping on the first, most obvious opportunity to solve a problem that he had been presented with. “General, I can’t go along with your decision. If the Space Ring is destroyed, it’ll fall to Earth and millions will die.”

 

“Are you certain?” Tina asked.

 

“I’ve never been so certain of anything in my life: the Space Ring is held in place by a delicate balance of forces; if they fire the Thunderhawk, the explosion will separate the sections, and the gravity of our planet will pull them down upon us like giant bombs.”

 

“This is the only way we can defeat these aliens,” Gault said, sounding as purely callous as he ever had. “This is war; there are always casualties. A few people getting hurt aren’t going to stop us from saving our race.”

 

“That’s horrible,” Tina snapped, speaking for only the second time since Gault had contacted them with this mad plan of his. “How can you be so heartless?! These are _people_ you’re talking about! Whose side are you _on_?! You heard what the Commander said: when it hits, it’ll be worse than anything the Radam have done to _us_! You can’t risk the lives of-”

 

“Stop this insolence!”

 

“Please, General; you _can’t_ do this! All life is precious!” Tina said; swiftly growing as passionate as he had ever heard her become. “These people are counting on you to _save_ them, not _hurt_ them! Don’t you have any family? Don’t you know what it would feel like to lose someone close to you?”

 

As Tina lost the last of his composure, collapsing to the computer console weeping, Jamison felt that he could easily guess the true cause – one of them, because like all of those who had joined up with his Space Knights, Tina was not one to stand for injustice – of her vehemence in this matter. Shara’s condition weighed heavily on them all.

 

“Enough!” Gault snapped, unmoved as Jamison had expected him to be. “I don’t have time to debate strategy! Especially with underlings. We’re firing at the Ring, and that’s final.”

 

“General, what can you _possibly_ hope to accomplish?” he demanded.

 

“Destroy the aliens, of course!”

 

“You’ll do nothing of the sort! I have information, some new information concerning the location of-”

 

The ringing of the attack-alarms, and a report from one of Gault’s own underlings drew the General’s attention then, and Jamison knew that there was nothing more that he could say to dissuade Gault from his mad plan.

 

“Well, Commander, it appears my plan has been put into motion, just remember to hold up your end of the deal.”

 

“General, the aliens aren’t _on_ the Ring-!” he said, trying to catch the attention of _someone_ levelheaded within Gault’s forces. Someone who might have been able to stop that mad plan of the General’s before he could carry it out.

 

“He’s cut off the transmission!” Tina exclaimed; Jamison found his fists almost involuntarily clenching, Gault’s constant search for self-aggrandizement at all costs had finally gone too far. “Commander, we have to stop him.”

 

“I know, Tina,” he said, once he had managed to regain what composure he could manage under the circumstances.

 

However, he was fully aware that, as things stood now, the Space Knights would need all of their forces to deal with him. And, with the Radam attacking once more, Slade and Saber were going to be unavoidably delayed.

 

0100100100

 

Back aboard the Blue Earth, Slade seethed quietly in his seat. Just one afternoon; just a _single_ afternoon, that they could spend with Shara. Apparently even _that_ was too much to ask. Looking back at Saber, not truly _wanting_ to interrupt his younger twin’s remaining time with their younger sister but knowing that he had to all the same, Slade saw Saber kissing Shara on her right temple.

 

“Sorry we couldn’t have spent more time together today, but I don’t think Darkon’s particularly happy about you escaping from him.”

 

“I know, Cain,” Shara said, and he could tell that she was trying to smile more for the two of them than for herself; there wasn’t much he could do about that as things stood now, but Slade hated it all the same. “Good luck out there.”

 

“Thanks,” he said; he still wished that the three of them had been able to stay together longer, but all the wishes in the world wouldn’t change what had really happened on this day of all days.

 

“Well, let’s get going,” Saber said, with an easy smirk that Slade knew wasn’t nearly as lighthearted as his younger twin was trying to make it look. “Those Spider-crabs aren’t going to go killing themselves.”

 

“Be nice if they did, though,” he muttered.

 

“Well, it’d certainly make things easier for us,” Saber said, as the two of them quickly made for the Blue Earth’s air lock.

 

Once they had made it into the air lock, with the doors sealing behind them the way they always did, Slade called on Pegas even as he felt Saber invoking his own transformation. Breathing more easily once he could feel his and Saber’s combat partner being launched out of the ship. And, even more, when he could feel that the transformation had completed itself.

 

Flying free from Pegas at last, he quickly joined up with Saber as the two of them backflipped onto the mech and rode it against the Spider-crabs coming down from the sky. Calling his lancer, Slade saw Saber doing the same. Tearing their way through the Spider-crabs that were swarming over the Command Center, Slade turned slightly to watch as Saber leaped off of Pegas with a burst from his thrusters.

 

_(Good luck out there.)_

_(Yeah, you, too. Don’t work_ too _hard,)_ Saber said, his younger twin becoming enveloped in the bright blue light of his thrusters as he dove for the largest knot of Spider-crabs on the ground.

 

 _(I’ll keep that in mind,)_ he said, looking out over the vast swarm of Spider-crabs still descending on them from the air.

 

Just then, the sense of someone else – four _someones_ in particular – slammed into him with a force that Slade hadn’t had time to prepare himself for even subconsciously. Whip-turning, even as he mentally called out to Saber that they had company, Slade confronted the one person he would have been perfectly happy to never see again: foremost of the Radam’s brainwashed soldiers, Spear.

 

Only, Spear wasn’t alone this time; and the people that backed him only served to remind Slade of just how much he’d lost during the course of this war. Shinji Mabashi stood on the far left, his hair somehow looking freshly-dyed; Katherine stood next to him, dressed in the outfit that she had chosen to wear at her wedding reception; Sensei Goddard stood on the middle-right of the group. And there, standing at the far right of the four evil Teknomen that had come to the Command Center to help Spear destroy it, was Sam.

 

Sam, the youngest of his and Saber’s siblings. He’d been hoping that Sam had died sometime during the transformation process, if only because Slade hadn’t known if he’d have been strong enough to face down the youngest member of their family in mortal combat. He didn’t know what that would say about him if he _did_ , either.

 

“Hello, Ness,” Spear said softly; there was a new hardness to the evil Teknoman’s eyes, a new firmness to his tone, that Slade was sure wasn’t going to lead to anything good. “It’s been a long time since we all saw each other.” Spear’s eyes tracked Saber as his younger twin landed, but the icy expression on his face as the five evil Teknomen closed with him and Saber didn’t change one bit. “I’m feeling generous, so I’ll give you two a last chance to come along peacefully.” Spear folded his arms, the expression on his face the same as the one Conrad wore when he had reached the end of his – not inconsiderable – patience. “Whether you choose to make me regret my generosity is entirely up to you.”

 

Well, really; under the circumstances there was only one way that they could answer that kind of a challenge.

 


	25. Forget Me Not

When Cain and Ness, both of them still wearing the armor that Lord Darkon had granted them when they had been taken into the forces of the Radam Empire, attacked without even a single word of warning, Spear ground his teeth as he leaped aside. True, it was no less than he’d been expecting from those two, and yet Spear still found it as purely infuriating as the first time he’d been confronted by the twins’ stubborn refusal to accept the world and their place in it. It may not have been the most psychologically healthy of mental states, but neither was refusing to admit – to himself if no one else – that he would have honestly preferred to have all of his family at his back rather than not.

(I’m sorry, my love,) Katherine said, coming to stand beside him as Axe and Rapier transformed and acted to deflect Ness and Cain’s strike from its original course. (I suppose even you can’t reason with everyone.)

(No, I suppose I can’t,) he conceded, allowing Katherine to help him to his feet, and then finding himself wrapped in her arms as she kissed him lightly. (Thank you, for being here for me, Kathy.)

(Of course,) she said, as the two of them broke apart once more. (I could hardly do anything less, for you.)

Smiling for a few moments, before he forced himself to face the reality of their current situation, Spear sighed. His teknocrystal was in his right hand almost before he consciously registered calling it to him, and Spear raised it quickly, calling upon the power he’d been granted to transform himself even as he felt Kathy doing the same. Now, all that remained was to deal with Ness and Cain.

As well as any others who would presume to interfere.

101001001

Firing his thrusters, dodging out of the way even as Sam – or, the Radam Teknoman that had been Sam – came slamming into the ground like a bolt of armored lightning, Saber just managed to fling himself out of the way of the small sword – only in relative terms, since the blade itself was about as long as Sam’s arm – that their youngest brother had been swinging at him. Of course, things weren’t that easy; they never were, when you were facing off against Teknomen. There was always one more nasty surprise or other waiting in the wings when you tried to fight them.

This was borne out by the blast that erupted suddenly from the hilt of the thin sword that Sam had tried to slam into his head.

Looking up, when he’d managed to snag a free moment to catch his breath, Saber saw Spear standing atop a small rise. The evil Teknoman’s arms were folded, and Saber would have been willing to bet that, under that armor of his, Spear had one of those calculating looks on his face. Conrad had always been one to try to work out the angles when he was in a fight; at least when he had the time to remove himself from whatever engagement he was participating in.

In open combat, he was as ruthless as any of them.

“Hey, Spear!” Best not to let him get any planning in; if he was forced to improvise more, at least all of them would be on an even footing. “You really sure that just five of you are going to be enough? Maybe you should have brought reinforcements!”

“Very amusing, Cain,” Spear said, in that flat, deadpan tone Conrad had always used when someone was really starting to tick him off; still, it wasn’t like just that was going to get his and Slade’s brainwashed older brother back into the fray.

It was time for drastic measures; Saber could really come to hate drastic measures.

0010010001

The sound of the heart-rate monitor, combined with the soft signs of Shara’s labored breathing, made Star clench her fists in the sheet that covered Slade and Saber’s sister from the neck down.

“Her vital-signs aren’t looking very good,” she said, if only because someone had to say it.

Everyone could tell that Shara wasn’t doing well.

“If only there was something we could do.”

“Like what?” she asked bleakly. “It’s out of our hands, Maggie.”

She didn’t know just how Slade and Saber were doing out there, facing the remainder of their family and friends that had been ripped away from them by the Radam, but she couldn’t help worrying for both of them. She had known, before, that Spear was the twins’ older brother, but even then she hadn’t fully understood what they were going through. Now… now she knew just how hard it was for the two of them to keep going out, time after time, to face the evil Teknomen that the Radam kept setting against them.

And she also fully understood how brave they were, for continuing to do so for so long.

00101001001

As his laser-designator lit up yet another Spider-crab, which he then promptly shot, Ringo turned his attention back to the Wonder Twins and their fight with what he now knew were the last remaining members of their family and a guy who’d probably been close enough to count even without the whole blood-relation thing. It must’ve been hell for the both of them, and Ringo could finally, honestly, say that he understood why neither of them had been open about their past before this.

Still, even as he continued to shoot down the Spider-crabs that would have otherwise caused trouble for the kids he was trying to protect, he was also keeping an eye on their respective time-limits. He didn’t like what he was seeing.

“Boys, not that I want to be a nag or anything – beat it, creep!” he cut himself off, turning to shoot the Spider-crab who’d poked his buggy little head into their private discussion. “I’m not kidding, here! Slade’s close to running out the clock, and you’ve got to know what that means for you, Saber!”

“Yeah, I know that,” the kid said.

“We’ll shake them, Ringo,” Slade said, sounding as serious as Saber had.

Watching from the lip of a nearby rise, from on high as another person might have said, he saw both the Wonder Twins jumping backwards; he knew what was coming. Well, that should shake them up a bit. When the bright blue-and-green lights of the Wonder Twins’ respective Tekno-bolts hammered the outcropping they were standing in front of, he breathed more easily.

Sure, there was no way in hell that something that small was going to stop Spear; he was related to the twins, after all. He might have been as crazy as any of the other Radam Teknomen that Ringo had had the misfortune to encounter, but considering the fact that the guy was willing to come back after taking a full pair of Tekno-bolts to the face, he wasn’t about to make the mistake of counting the guy out now.

That would’ve been all kinds of stupid.

1101001010

“Troublesome,” he muttered, watching the broken rock and debris obscure the battlefield. He could also sense the fact that his younger brothers had retreated; for the moment, anyway.

“You know what they say.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, before sensei Goddard could complete the platitude he had so clearly been thinking of. Narrowing his eyes, he mused aloud for all of their benefits. “Still, that all depends on them having a place to run to.” Bringing out his lancer, both for the fact that he would have need of it soon, and for the extra gravitas it seemed to lend him when he spoke, he pointed it at the besieged Space Knight Command Center. “We’re going farther; either Ness and Cain come back out here with Shara, or we rip that place down and drag them out. I’m beginning not to care which.”

There was a unanimous agreement on that point; something he was grateful for, even as he’d come to expect it.

110100101

Saber was pretty listless as he helped him back into the infirmary room where Shara was resting, but then they both had fired a Tekno-bolt each in order to make sure that Spear and his lackeys stayed off their backs. So, Slade supposed that was pretty much what he could expect; not that he liked it any more for all that.

“Hey,” Maggie called softly, and he turned to see her slinging Saber’s unencumbered left arm over her shoulders. “I’m glad you two managed to make it back in one piece.”

“Yeah,” Saber said, wearily lifting his head to smile at the two of them as they helped him over to one of the chairs that had been set up next to Shara’s bed.

The flash of psychic pain through their link, back when they had first exited the Blue Earth in full armor to deal with Spear and his cohorts, had let him and Saber both know just what was happening to Shara, and while they’d both wanted nothing more than to be at her side, there’d been no way of telling just how much damage those five would do to the Command Center if he and Saber hadn’t at least come out to meet them.

Even if they hadn’t been able to stop them yet.

“I take it Spear hasn’t called off his attack,” Star said.

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Saber returned, his usual smirk looking a bit worn around the edges.

He reached for Shara’s hand, even as he let Saber lean on him for whatever small bit of support that his younger twin needed from him; whatever he could still give, under the circumstances.

“She’s been like this for hours; we don’t know what’s causing these high levels of stress-related brain activity.”

“I could hazard a guess,” Saber said, and Slade was glad to see that his younger twin was starting to revive.

“What do you mean, Saber?” Star asked.

“You already know that we can sense each other when we’re in close proximity,” he muttered, lacing his fingers together with Shara’s to try and give her what comfort he could. “And, if we’re sleeping the way Shara’s trying to, it makes it impossible to shield our minds from any of the others.”

True, he hadn’t heard Spear actually trying to talk to them since their attack on the Command Center had begun in earnest, but he could still sense him and all of the other Radam Teknomen that had been sent out alongside Spear. The room shook, clearly from the impact of something large; or something fast enough that its size didn’t actually matter.

“Spear and his cronies; those gorillas’ll pound this place to the ground,” Ringo groused.

Slade chuckled bitterly, deep in his throat where he knew only Saber would be able to hear it. Sounded like he and Saber were going to be having interesting times again soon.

“Our power-feed is getting erratic,” Star said, sounding worried. “I’m not sure we can keep Shara stable through too many more hits like that one.”

Slade sighed; it always seemed to be something, lately.

110100101

(Sam, have you found anything that might be of use to us?) he asked.

Sam, being the youngest and most lightly-armored of them – his body not yet suited to supporting a full set of Tekno-armor – was truly best-suited to act as a scout. That, or directing the Spider-crabs to their intended targets, but as he, Katharine, Shinji, and sensei Goddard were all here as well, they would each be able to take that task on when it was required of them.

(Nothing yet,) Sam reported. (Is there anything in particular you want me to look for?)

(Give me a moment, Sam,) he requested, turning to face a still rather intact portion of the Space Knights’ Command Center. If nothing else, taking out portions of this place would serve to deprive their enemies – pitiful as they were – of one of the shelters they seemed so fond of crawling into when they were faced with any opposition.

Charging his lancer, Spear let fly with the electricity that he had been gathering at the tip. His breath came out in an almost explosive burst, as he whipped through the air, sending arcs of electricity into the structures in front of him that struck like bursts of controlled lightning. (Do you think that you could manage to find some way inside this facility without attracting attention from the humans?)

(Without transforming back? I doubt it,) Sam responded, sounding thoughtful.

(Yes, that would present problems in this situation,) he conceded, sending a last bolt of electricity into the savaged remains of the buildings below him. (Concentrate on directing the Spider-crabs, then. The others can do a great deal more damage far easier than you can, little brother.)

(Yes, big brother.)

Turning his attention back to what remained of the section of the Space Knights’ Command Center that he had found himself positioned over, Spear saw the damage he had done and decided to move on. There would be other places that required his attention. Best he saw to them.

01010010111

“Take a good, long look at the Command Center, Mac,” he said, as the destruction continued to play out on the main screen before them. “I don’t think it’ll be around much longer.”

However, their contemplation of the situation was interrupted in the most unexpected way: “Commander Jamison, this is Lieutenant MacMillan of AEM Command, can you read me, sir?”

“Perfectly, son,” he said, uncomfortably aware of just what this contact could mean.

“Thank heavens! General Gault has activated the Thunderhawk’s enabling systems. The final countdown has begun!”

“As of what time?” All of this would indeed depend on how much time they had to move.

“Moments ago,” MacMillan said, the urgency in his tone as obvious as it was carefully controlled. “I called you as soon as I found out, Commander. I’m breaking every regulation in the book, but someone has to stop him while there’s still time!”

A gunshot sounded, and blood began to show on MacMillan’s uniform shirt as he fell forward and out of frame. “Encouraging insubordination, Commander? I’m shocked at you!”

“Gault.” It took a fair amount of his self-control not to shout at the man; particularly when he saw the smoking gun clenched in his fist. “Stop the countdown.”

“Don’t be a fool, Jamison,” Gault said; Jamison was reasonably certain that he hadn’t missed the sneer in the General’s tone. “I don’t take orders from you. Besides, once the countdown’s begun there’s no stopping it. In twenty-five minutes, the bomb will be launched. All you have to do is keep distracting the enemy until then.”

“It’s madness; it’ll never work.”

“You mustn’t be such a pessimist,” Gault said, the fanatic smile on his face letting Jamison know that nothing he said was likely to make any kind of impact, anymore. Still, he’d never been the type of man to give up after a single impasse. “I’m sure, if we all play our parts, it will come off perfectly. Keep up the good work!”

With a final salute, and a smile that couldn’t be mistaken for anything but mocking, Gault terminated the connection.

“He’s cracked,” Mac said, speaking for the first time since the two of them had met up inside Comm. One. “The man’s gone nuttier than a space monkey!”

There was really nothing to be said to that; but now wasn’t the time for words, at any rate. Now was the time to act; to seek to prevent the damage that Gault’s desperation – both for his own prestige, and in his own way the safety of humanity – would end up doing to the world and all of the remaining people that lived on it. And, Jamison knew just how that would best be accomplished.

All he would need now, was their cooperation.

1101001001

As his loyal crew went about making the final preparations to launch the Thunderhawk, Gault dismissed the conversation that he and Jamison had had from his mind. Hamilton Jamison had never truly possessed the vision, the drive, or the iron will necessary to do what was needed. All great victories had been achieved at the cost of human lives, a few thousand more – even a few million – added to the equation wasn’t nearly enough to prevent them from saving humanity as a whole.

Jamison had never truly understood that, which was ultimately why he had chosen to pursue a career within the civilian sector.

However, even people as soft as Jamison and his Space Knights could serve a purpose; with that Spear creature and the others like him distracted, Gault would have all the time he needed to launch the Thunderhawk into the Space Ring. Then, once those creatures had been deprived of any safe ground to return to, it would be a simple matter to deal with them once and for all.

“All functions are green and ready for firing, General,” his head technician reported, after a long string of reports that he had only been half-listening to.

“Excellent.”

It still held true, now of all times: all of the great triumphs in history had been achieved at the cost of human lives. This war had ground on long enough; he wouldn’t allow this stalemate to continue. Not when he had the means to end it, right here and now. A few million dead was nothing compared to victory.

It was nothing, compared to those who had already died in the invasion.

00010100101

Surveying the ravaged structure beneath him, Spear sighed softly. It was swiftly becoming clear that only a particularly drastic action on their part would be capable of driving Ness and Cain out of hiding. The problem, of course, was Shara. He could sense that she was severely weakened; enough that he wasn’t certain if she would be able to transform in time when he and the others began destroying this Command Center in earnest.

The sound of gentle tapping drew Spear’s attention then, and he turned to look at the woman standing beside him. Katherine’s easy stance suggested that she was smiling under her helmet. Spear felt a smile emerging on his own face, as well.

Truly, it didn’t matter just how long this campaign of theirs lasted; Ness and Cain, and even Shara, would not be able to hide behind these crumbling walls indefinitely.

When Kathy wrapped her arms around him, leaning her armored head against his own, Spear allowed himself to relax into her embrace for a few short, precious moments. However, he fully understood that this was not a time for sentiment. Now, of all times, he had to resolve himself to his present course of action.

Harsh as it was, the results would be worth it; their family would be whole at last.

11010100101

“Head’s up!” he heard Mac calling from the doorway. “That madman Gault’s brought the Thunderhawk missile online! He’s about to try to blow the Space Ring out of the sky!”

He heard Slade make a soft noise of derision, but over it all was Maggie’s exclamation: “He’s out of his mind!”

“That’s the understatement of the century,” Mac said, his tone carrying the same derision that Saber had sensed from Slade; still could sense, to be honest.

“Yeah, that sounds like something he’d do,” he muttered, trying for light and easy, but fairly sure he was missing by several country miles.

“Well, we’ve got twenty minutes to see that he doesn’t, Saber,” Mac said, but when he turned to look at the large-framed mechanic, Saber saw that he did seem at least grateful for the attempt at lightening the tension, doomed to fail as it so clearly had been from the start.

“I believe that either of you two would be able to stop him,” the Commander said, as he came into the infirmary just behind Mac.

“Yeah, I’d guess you’re right,” he said, even as the Command Center shuddered around them. “There are just four or five small issues with that,” he continued, giving a lopsided sort of smirk – the best he could manage at the moment – in response.

“Whichever one of you chose to go, he would have to move quickly and quietly,” the Commander said, fixing both him and Slade with those cool, pale pink eyes of his.

“That’ll be me,” Slade said decisively. “How do we do this, Commander? Spear and the others are going to be watching all of the exits, and they’re not going to be shy about using their telepathy if something changes.”

“You honestly think they can keep an eye on every one of the ventilation shafts?” Commander Jamison asked, and on anyone else – even him – that question would have probably been a mocking what-are-you-some-kind-of-moron type of thing. But, coming from the Commander, it was just a reminder of another option.

One that neither of them had considered before. “I didn’t even think of those,” Slade admitted.

(So we’re going to Die Hard this one, are we?) he asked, amused by the idea, though not particularly about what was going to come of it.

(Seems like,) Slade responded, though he seemed more focused on what the Commander was saying.

Saber couldn’t hold it against him, though; in situations like this, there were more important things than a good joke.

“There’s one two kilometers to the east. You should be able to escape their notice through the use of that shaft. In particular, I would advise you to strive to remain unseen by your elder brother and any of his compatriots.”

“We’ll need a diversion if we actually want that to happen,” Ringo said, his eyes closed for a long moment. “If I can distract those clowns with the Blue Earth, that might do it.”

“You do know that’s completely crazy, right?” he deadpanned, smirking faintly.

“Hey, I’d be happy as a clam if there was some other way to do this, but sometimes crazy is just what the doctor ordered,” Ringo said, smirking right back.

“Maggie, would it be possible to augment the Teknobot’s speed with an auxiliary booster?” the Commander asked; it was then that Saber knew that they were really going to be doing this.

Maggie nodded. “I don’t see why not.”

“Sure thing!” Mac piped up. “We can give the Teknobot enough horsepower to reach the Thunderhawk’s launch pad with time to spare.”

“Well then, the rest is up to you, Slade,” the Commander said.

He heard his older twin sigh, softly enough that Saber honestly doubted that any of the humans around them had heard it at all. “Yeah, I know.” Standing up from his seat next to Shara, he felt Slade gripping him in a tight, one-armed hug. (Stay in contact, all right? I might not be able to actually do anything, being out so far, but I just-)

(I know,) he said, wrapping both of his arms around his elder twin and holding him tight for a long moment. (I’ll keep in touch. Just come back as soon as you can, all right?)

(I’ll be back before you know it,) Slade said, in spite of the fact that they both knew it was a lie.

(Thank you,) Shara’s weakening voice drew his and Slade’s attention back to her. Her pale violet eyes were almost completely lucid, and she was looking at the both of them with a gentle sort of approval in her eyes. (I was hoping that you would be willing to help save those people.)

0001010010010

The roar of aerospace engines drew Spear’s attention; there was a ship lifting off from a ramp quite close-by to them. It had to be them. Clearly, Ness and Cain were attempting to escape from this beleaguered facility aboard that ship.

And, just as clearly, that escape rout would need to be dealt with.

Calling to the others that he had brought with him, Spear lead them in ramming through the launch-ramp that the ship – the ship that Spear had seen Ness and Cain traveling to and from their various attacks on the forces that Lord Darkon had sent out to deal with the remaining forces that these humans could muster against his forces – had nearly cleared by this time. The ramp collapsed, causing the ship, the ship that had caused him and his no end of trouble, to spin out and eventually crash into the rocky ground. Narrowing his eyes, Spear opened his mind.

As he was beginning to suspect, Ness and Cain had not in fact been aboard that ship.

(Sam, I would be particularly interested to know just what the pilot of that ship thinks he is doing,) his teeth would have been clenched in sheer, frustrated fury, were it not for the changes to his facial structure underneath his armor. (Would you be so kind as to retrieve him for me?)

(Of course, big brother,) Sam responded, quickly darting off in pursuit of that ship and its pilot. (I’ll be right back.)

(Thank you, Sam.) Furious as he still was with all of these humans and their little tricks – he was even beginning to become irritated with the twins’ continued intractability – it cost one nothing to be polite. (I do truly appreciate your help.)

The others landed, arranging themselves in a loose semi-circle around him; all except for Kathy, who came up on his right side and gently wrapped her arms around him. Allowing himself to lean into the comfort that she so clearly wished to provide to him for a few, long moments – their respective helmets making a soft clicking sound as they touched – Spear felt the tension that had been building up within not only his mind but in his body as well, slowly ebbing away. Truly, he would have to do something kind for Kathy, in return for the moral and material support that she continued to provide him with.

There was still an unfulfilled promise that he had made to her, after all; but such things could be attended to later.

1010100111

When the Blue Earth had slammed into that cliff side, one that would have reminded him of the beachside cliffs where those crazy kids of theirs had played together with their little sister if he’d had the time to think like that at all, the first thing Ringo was aware of – painfully aware of, you might say – was the fact that he’d cracked his left wrist pretty badly in the crash. The next thing to register, even above the pain that he was even then beginning to shove aside in the face of the clear fact that he needed to get moving away from such a vulnerable position, was the shrieking of metal as it was torn apart by what just had to be either Spear or one of his cronies.

Forcing himself out of the pilot’s seat, Ringo managed to be just in time to get himself slammed into his control console by his neck. Gagging on the air that he couldn’t quite manage to breathe past the armored hand now digging into his throat, Ringo just managed to open his eyes enough to catch a glimpse of the Teknoman that was currently manhandling him. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t actually Spear.

That did beg the question of just who in the hell this new Teknoman actually was, but before he could even begin to articulate the question, Ringo felt the Teknoman’s armored hand closing around his throat as he was yanked up and off the ground.

His first thought, once he’d managed to catch his breath again – not being strangled by an evil Teknoman helped a lot with that – was that the Teknoman who’d pulled him out of the Blue Earth was tiny. Not just short, but small and thin; this had to be the Wonder Twins’ youngest brother. The armor the kid was wearing was light-colored, but it also seemed like it was lighter than any of the other Teknomen he’d seen before.

Ringo just barely had time to wonder about that, before Spear himself had landed and things pretty much went to hell then and there.

“Good work, little brother,” the largest – well, tallest at least, since the Teknoman in the green-shaded armor with the fuck-off huge halberd was broader across the shoulders, even if he was shorter – of the evil Teknomen that had arrayed themselves around him said, sounding like he was probably smiling under that sharp-angled helmet of his. When the evil Teknoman’s full attention turned to him, Ringo had to fight to keep himself from tensing; sure, he’d faced off with Slade and Saber’s psychotic older brother before, but he’d always had something to fall back on those other times. Either the Blue Earth’s firepower, or the armor on his Tekno-suit. “You’re the pilot.”

“Yeah, that’s me.” And damn, it was creepy hearing how toneless Spear sounded when he said that. Of course, the way said evil Teknoman then grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet that creepy, visored face of his was terrifying enough on its own, thank you very much.

“You’re also someone else, aren’t you?” Spear asked, his voice still as eerily toneless as it’d been before. “I recognize your voice; how interesting that you, of all humans, could be such a troublesome one.”

“What do you mean?” the second-shortest of Spear’s group of evil Teknomen – the stocky, broad-shouldered one – asked, looking from him to Spear and back again.

“This human was the second one to wear those suits of armor I reported on,” Spear said, his voice still toneless, but Ringo thought he could hear a slight thread of annoyance; or maybe he was just imagining that, since it was starting to freak him out how damned controlled Spear was. “The only one I hadn’t managed to deal with.” The red lights of Spear’s eyes narrowed, and Ringo fought down an almost reflexive smirk; this was no time to let his old habits get him in trouble. “I expect you know what I want, human.”

“I think I could hazard a guess, yeah,” he said, once Spear had opened his hand and let him drop back to the ground.

“Good. Tell me where my younger brothers are, and I will allow you to leave unharmed,” Spear said, just as eerily toneless as he’d ever been.

Well, this next bit’s sure to get at least some reaction out of him, Ringo mused, morbidly curious about just how screwed he was going to be after essentially telling Spear to shove it. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, pal.”

Spear actually scoffed; it was a reaction, at least. “Your loyalty to my younger brothers is admirable. For a human, I would even allow that you, out of all your kind, are a rather more worthy opponent than I had ever expected to meet.” His red eye lights narrowed slightly. “However, your intransigence will do you no credit.”

He’d been just about to ask what in the hell that meant, when the smallest of Spear’s cronies yanked him back to his feet, before forcing him back to his knees. The pain from having his right arm being snapped almost caused him to scream, but Ringo wasn’t really in the mood to give Slade and Saber’s psychotic older brother – or the guy who pretty much had to be their psychotic younger brother – the satisfaction of hearing something like that out of him.

“You have commendable resolve, human,” Spear said, though it didn’t really sound like any kind of compliment that he’d ever heard before.

In fact, it sounded like he was actually starting to get a rise out of the Ice King himself; that probably wasn’t going to end up being a particularly good thing, but it was an accomplishment all the same.

His left leg’s being snapped like the proverbial dry twig let Ringo know that Spear wasn’t about to let him get away with that. Breathing harshly to try to cope with the pain, Ringo briefly caught sight of the smallest Teknoman’s armored feet as his head drooped. It wasn’t going to be easy, keeping his head straight with all that was going on around him, all that Slade and Saber’s psychotic brothers were probably going to do to him, but it was what he’d have to do.

In the end, it was all that anyone in this position could really ask of themselves.

01010010100

She could feel Cain’s hands – warmer than she could ever remember them being; but then all Teknomen had high metabolisms – wrapped tightly around her right, with his thumb gently stroking the back of her right hand. Shara was grateful for it; grateful for the strength that her second-oldest brother’s presence was giving her, and grateful that she had at least two of her elder siblings to support her with what she was facing even now.

“Ness must almost be there by now,” she said, feeling her strength failing even as she spoke.

“I could check, if you really want me to, Shara.”

“That’s kind of you to offer, Cain,” she said, smiling as his right thumb gently stroked the back of her left hand. “But, I wouldn’t want to interrupt Ness if he’s in the middle of something important.”

“All right,” Cain said, and Shara felt warm when she saw the gentle smile on her youngest older brother’s face. “If that’s what you really want, Shara.”

“You shouldn’t worry so much about Slade,” Star said; she was glad to know that Ness and Cain both had the loyalty of such a kind woman like her. “He’s really good at this type of thing. I’m sure he’ll be back just as soon as he can.”

Cain chuckled softly, a wistful expression on his face; she knew that he probably wished that he were out there too, but she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t say anything like that. Not unless someone asked him; Cain wasn’t the kind of person who liked having other people fuss over him. If anything he preferred to take care of them, in his own way.

“I know,” she sighed, turning so that she could look both Star and Cain in the eyes if she so chose. “That’s not what’s worrying me; not something like that.”

“What is it, then, Shara?” Cain asked, and she had to fight not to close her eyes when she spoke to him.

She didn’t want to hurt him, but in the end, not saying what she was trying to say would be a thousand times worse than just getting it out. “Cain, I hope you and Maggie stay together; I think she’s just the kind of person who could keep up with you, and the two of you really do seem to make each other happy.” Cain smiled softly; the kind of smile that had always seemed like it was meant just for her when she saw it. “And Star?”

“Yes, Shara?”

“I hope you and Ness end up happy together, too. He does need more than one person to look after him, sometimes.”

Cain chuckled, deep in his throat. “Yes, much as I might love the guy, even I have to admit how much of a lunkhead he can be.”

Star laughed softly. “Yes, I’ve noticed that, myself.”

Shara sighed; she didn’t want to keep being the one to have to keep bringing things like this up, but before she could even start to say something else, the Space Knights’ Command Center shuddered, and the evacuation alarms began to sound. She could hear their Commander Jamison’s voice, directing them to evacuate all of the non-essential personnel, and she sighed. It looked like, whatever was left of Conrad, Sam, and the others, they were all still just as determined as they had ever been.

101010111010

The landscape around him had blurred into non-importance, as he’d pushed Pegas for everything the newly-enhanced mech could give him. Slade knew he needed to get to Gault’s launch-station, before the General who’d obviously gone completely bugfuck during the course of the invasion could launch that Thunderhawk missile of his, or else a good proportion of the world’s remaining population were going to die. Still, once he’d made it close enough that he could actually see the launch-base, Slade could feel the boosters detaching from Pegas.

Since he didn’t really need them anymore, Slade didn’t let himself think anymore about them after he felt them falling completely away.

No, what he was most focused on was that stupid look that he’d seen on Gault’s face; he was almost tempted to contact Saber, since he knew that his younger twin would find it just as funny as he did. Still, Saber had told him that he and Star were keeping Shara company, and he didn’t want to keep disturbing her with trivial things just because he kind of thought that Saber would get a kick out of them.

Right now, though, what Slade’s focus was most taken up by was the transformation that he was currently undergoing. The energy that flooded his awareness until it seemed like that was all that existed in the world. It was just the same as all of the other times that he’d activated his transformation – with or without his teknocrystal – and at the same time it had always felt like the first time he’d done it.

Leaving Pegas behind as he dove through the glass dome that was the only thing separating him from the stupidly-gaping figure of most-likely-soon-to-be-ex General Gault, Slade landed as lightly as he could in front of the man. Gault regained his composure quickly, though; he’d pretty much been expecting just that, but it would have been pretty funny to see that kind of look for a bit longer than he had.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” Gault demanded; ah, there was that look again. Funny, he’d almost missed it. “Why have you come here?!”

“General Gault, call off the launch!” he said, forcing himself to sound all-business; not hard to do, even in spite of the look on Gault’s face.

“Call it off?” Gault repeated, even as one of the many technicians manning the control consoles arrayed all around and behind him asked for his orders. “You must be out of your mind!”

“I could say the same about you,” he snapped, not even bothering to keep the venom out of his tone; this bastard was risking the lives of more innocent people than he would have ever been able to meet in his life, and all for a stupid gamble that wasn’t even going to work anyway. “This plan of yours is insane.”

And really, even calling this exercise in sheer stupidity a plan was a grave insult to all plans everywhere.

“Insane, you say?” Gault repeated derisively; Slade didn’t like the sheer fanaticism he could see beginning to shine in the General’s eyes. “It’s insane, to want to protect this world, and to completely crush the enemy?!”

And yeah, he could fully agree with that particular sentiment, but- “General, if you destroy the Space Ring, the pieces that fall to Earth will cause more destruction than all of the Radam attacks to date. It’s more than possible, given the scale we’re looking at, that the final result would be an Impact Winter long enough to severely reduce the remaining population.”

If not outright decimate them, but he wasn’t going to say that.

“That’s a very pretty speech,” Gault sneered; Slade gritted his teeth, and mentally reminded himself that feeding Gault his own teeth wasn’t going to get him what he needed right now. “Now stop wasting my time; countdown will continue! Carry on!” he shouted back over his right shoulder.

One more try. “Your plan won’t even solve the problem you want it to in the first place. The leader of the Radam forces has his base on the dark side of the moon!”

He’d been about to say Darkon’s name, but Gault wouldn’t know it, and saying something like that would probably make Gault – idiot that he’d proven himself to be on many separate occasions – think that he was in league with the Radam. When he thought too much about that, he’d feel an urge to punch the stupid out of him. Nevermind how impossible that would have proved to be.

“You would say something like that; they’re your friends, aren’t they?”

Biting the tip of his tongue – that had been a lower blow than that bastard would have ever be capable of understanding. “The Space Ring is just an outpost that the Radam have been using to stage their attacks,” he bit out, the sheer fury he was feeling making Slade feel like he was swallowing acid with every word. “Destroying it won’t do you a bit of good.”

“You think I’d trust anything you say? Betrayer.”

Being called that, even after everything that he’d been forced to sacrifice to save the Earth and the people that still lived on her, infuriated Slade to the point where he actually managed to find the “still point” that Cain and Conrad had tried to tell him about. Everything just seemed so clear: Gault wasn’t going to listen to him, and none of his people were going to listen to anyone but Gault.

Still, there wasn’t much anyone could do to launch a bomb if the launch-controls had been destroyed.

“Don’t touch that control-panel!” Oh, he was going to do a lot more than touch it. Still, the bastard General actually sounded serious; it might even be something important. “In the final sixty seconds, the countdown cannot be terminated,” Gault said, triumphantly brandishing a handheld timer. “Any attempt to do so will merely result in the self-destruction of this missile-base.” The bastard actually laughed at that. “Sit back and watch the fireworks with the rest of us!”

Oh, fuck you very much, Gault!

“Quite a mouth you’ve got on you, Teknoman,” Gault said, and Slade realized that he’d just spoken that last part out loud.

He didn’t particularly care, but he realized it all the same.

Walking calmly over to Gault, looking at that arrogant little smile he was wearing – like he was perfectly in control of everything going on; like there wasn’t even one thing he wasn’t completely prepared for – Slade backhanded him right in his smirking mouth. Then, roughly shoving all thoughts of Gault and his supreme idiocy right out of his mind, Slade flew back out into the air and met up with Pegas.

If he wasn’t going to be able to stop the Thunderhawk before it launched, then he was going to have to settle for destroying the thing before it could do any damage.

For a moment, Slade wondered what he should do about Gault and his cronies; but that problem would be easily solved. He just had to hit the Thunderhawk a bit earlier. He might have felt sympathy for someone in the position he was about to be putting those people in, but all of them had chosen to side with Gault. Gault, the worthless little shit who was planning to murder countless millions of innocent people just for the sake of his own over-bloated ego.

As far as Slade could make himself care, if those people supported him so much, they could burn with Gault.

Cutting deeply into the Thunderhawk’s casing, Slade flew away as the damaged missile detonated behind him. That took care of what he needed to do here; just one last thing to see to.

(Saber, job’s done and I’m on my way home.)

(Slade, is something wrong?)

He realized that he’d probably let slip a bit more of his personal feelings than he’d been planning; but hell with it, it wasn’t like Saber wouldn’t agree with him on this one. (Gault’s dead; and I sincerely hope he rots in hell.)

110100100101

There really wasn’t much he could say to something like that, and it wasn’t as though he was particularly eager to talk about their current situation. (Good to know you’re going to be back soon, brother. I’ll make sure to fluff your pillow for you.)

There was a general sort of amusement from Slade, and so Saber turned his attention back to the current situation that he hadn’t been in any mood to report to Slade. There was another sharp jolt; a bit less powerful than the one that had lead the Commander to call for the evacuation of the Command Center, but not by much. Shara caught his eye, and Saber knew that she was thinking along just the same lines as he was.

They both knew that the Command Center couldn’t stand up to this kind of a pounding for much longer; they would have to go to the source of this trouble, but therein lay the problems: Shara wasn’t at her best, and they were going to be facing Spear and the rest of the survivors of the Argos.

“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news,” he said, his tone deliberately light to help defuse the tension in the room; it fell pretty flat, but no one could say he wasn’t trying. “The good news is that Slade says he’s finished with his job, and he’s going to be heading back soon.”

“I think we can all guess what the bad news is,” Star said.

The Command Center shuddered again. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

He knew what Shara was going to do the second she caught his eye again, and so he reached out to support her as she pulled herself up and out of bed. Naturally, Star tried to stop them, since she knew just as well as any of them did just how much Shara was going to be risking if she went out there to confront Spear and the others. Still, the fact that Star was more focused on what Shara was doing meant that he could get behind her.

After that, a short, sharp blow to the back of Star’s neck knocked her out like a light, and he and Shara hoisted her up onto the bed that Shara had been using up to that point.

Letting his and Slade’s younger sister lean on him as heavily as she needed, Saber subtly guided her through the damaged, swiftly collapsing corridors of the soon-to-be-former Command Center. Soon enough – sooner than he’d have liked, really – the two of them found a serviceable window – one of the many floor-to-ceiling types that had been spaced so regularly around this place – with most of its glass blown out.

“Cain.” Shara’s voice brought his attention back to the present, after he’d seen an armored figure zipping past; far away but still too close for comfort. “I- I’m really glad that you’re still here with me.”

Holding her in return as Shara hugged him, Saber rested his right cheek against the crown of her skull. “You’re family; you know I wouldn’t leave you for anything.”

“I know, and I’m glad,” Shara said, and he could smell the sharp tang of tears; just like the ones he could feel leaking from his own eyes. “I just- I wish…”

“Yeah; I know.” Closing his eyes for just a few moments, Saber swallowed a bitter chuckle; he knew all about the wishes that someone might make in this kind of a situation.

He and Shara separated without a word, only their hands still joined – his right to her left – and Saber spared a moment’s concentration to call his teknocrystal back to his free hand, even as he felt the brief surge of energy that meant Shara was calling her own. He didn’t allow himself to feel anything about what he and Shara were both doing, but Saber knew that if he had he would have hated it. Transforming even as Shara did, Saber felt the familiar double-surge that he’d always felt when Slade transformed next to him

He didn’t let himself muse on that for long, because they were firmly outside of the Command Center now, and he’d just sensed Spear’s presence growing stronger.

(Heads up,) he said, knowing that the both of them would need to be prepared for what was coming.

(I know,) Shara said. (Thank you, Cain.)

The- whatever name that manta-ray looking platform thing that Spear had taken to riding around on, appeared in the air in front of them then. And, naturally, Spear was right there standing on top of it. Saber tensed as Spear stepped down from the thing’s back, and began to make his way toward where he stood beside Shara.

“I’m glad to see that the both of you came to your senses so quickly, Cain, Shara.” Saber ground his teeth at Spear’s tone; gentle as it ever was, Saber knew damn well that that kind of thing would bring them nothing but trouble. “Still, I think it would be best if you removed your armor, Shara. You’re putting an unnecessary strain on your body.”

“You know, I keep trying and trying, but I never seem to find a word with less syllables to express myself,” he leveled his lancer at Spear’s armored head; it wasn’t likely he’d hit anything, but he’d get the message across. “No.”

His electrified lancer-ribbon – or whatever the thing was actually called – slashed through the space that Spear’s head had been, and when Saber heard the low, almost animalistic growl that emerged from Spear’s throat, not to mention seeing the way his glowing red eyes narrowed dangerously, he knew what was going to be coming.

“How dare you!”

Rolling out of the way, even as Shara leapt in the opposite direction, Saber looked back to see just the person – well, if one of Radam’s own Teknoman could even be called that anymore – he’d expected when he’d heard that voice. Even the tone was familiar; he’d been scolded by Kathy before.

“Your brother has been nothing but kind to you, and this is how you continue to repay him?!” Kathy – what was left of her, anyway – demanded.

“It comes of not being insane, Kathy,” he said, flippant even though facing the woman who would have been his sister-in-law if life had been kind hurt nearly as much as facing the members of his, Shara’s, and Slade’s family did. “You should really try it, sometime.”

“Faithless traitor!”

Forced to dodge the evil Teknoman’s lancer – hers more like the blade of a sword than his or Slade’s lances, or Spear’s harpoon – as she tried to impale him between the eyes with the thing, Saber glanced back over his left shoulder, at least as well as he could when he was wearing his armor, to see how Shara was doing. The news was about as bad on her end as it was on his: two more of Spear’s cronies had landed just behind her, and while she had turned to confront them, the both of them were a lot bigger and tougher – not to mention healthier – than she was.

Throwing himself forward, Saber caught a fleeting glimpse of another armored figure falling swiftly through the air. Pushing that thought out of his mind, not having the attention to spare for whatever else might be coming – dangerous as it was inevitably going to be – Saber whipped his lancer in a wide arc to deflect the descending normal and halberd-style lancers that were heading down toward Shara, even as he leapt to her defense.

(Thank you, Cain,) she said, the weariness that she was clearly still feeling dragging more heavily at her.

(Yeah,) he said, trying to project reassurance, but not quite sure that he was managing. (Stay close, Shara. I’ll-)

(Cain, look out!)

Raising his left hand, Saber only just managed to avoid the stab that would have gone clean through his head if he hadn’t caught it, Saber had only a few moments to truly appreciate how much it hurt to be stabbed through the palm – right between all four of your fingers – before he was forced to bring up his lancer to deflect another swing from the large halberd-style lancer that the second-shortest, not to mention the stockiest, of the evil Teknomen that he and Shara were both facing.

He hoped that Slade was going to get back to them soon; Saber didn’t know if he was going to be able to hold up under this kind of pressure, so he knew that it had to be several times worse for Shara.

10100100101

He knew that he had to get back to Shara and Saber as fast as he could; they were alone against five of Darkon’s evil Teknomen, and in Shara’s condition things would be all the more difficult for her. Still, the fact that he’d been forced to discard the booster-rocket that Maggie and Mac had been able to provide him with meant that he could only rely on Pegas’ top speed for this trip. And, as fast as he was moving, Slade couldn’t help but wonder if that would be fast enough.

He could only hope it would be enough; hope, and push Pegas for all the speed the mech could give him.

001010010100

Forcing himself not to scream, as he felt what had to be Sam’s thin, sword-like lancer driven through his right wrist – his own wrist having been pinned on top of Shara’s left; presumably so that the five of them could use three lancers rather than four and fuck them all for the effort – Saber panted in exertion as the pain of being impaled yet again hit him in earnest.

“Cain, why do you both insist on forcing me to resort to such drastic measures?” Saber ground his teeth; seriously, fuck Spear and his sanctimonious bullshit. “Do you think I enjoy it?”

“Well, I can’t think of any other reasons you’d keep doing it,” he said flippantly; he wasn’t going to draw their attention to Shara if he didn’t have to.

“Stop speaking to your brother with that tone, you insolent brat!” Kathy snapped.

“So sorry to offend, Kathy,” he snarked. “I’m just a little bit too busy being tortured to think about propriety. You’ll have to forgive me.”

“Cain, what do you have to say for yourself?” Spear asked, sounding oh-so disappointed, and oh-so sorry for what he was about to do; oh, right, what he had to do.

“Nothing,” he said, and smirked even in spite of the fact that no one here would be able to see him doing it. “I don’t have a single thing to say to any of you. I do have a gesture,” he paused for a moment, painfully wiggling his fingers for effect. “But my hands don’t seem to be working that well at the moment.”

Without another word Spear unsheathed his foot-long blade, one of the only armaments that he and Saber had in common, and jammed it nearly up to the point where his wrist would have been into Saber’s own left shoulder. Forcing himself not to scream, Saber found his attention drawn away from what was going on around him by Shara’s mental voice.

(Cain, I want you to fly; just as soon as they turn their attention away from you.)

(Shara, what-)

(I’m dead anyway, Cain,) Shara said wearily, cutting him off before he could actually say anything in particular. (But you and Ness, you have to live. You’re the only ones who can stop the Radam now.)

There was nothing he could really say to that, at least not without insulting Shara’s sacrifice and starting an argument that neither of them could afford right now. Sighing deeply, Saber turned his attention back to the five evil Teknomen – only four of them who were a real threat, since the small, light blue and while form that had to be Sam was hanging back almost behind Spear – arranged around the two of them.

He knew that Shara would have only included him in their conversation, since the whole point of using their telepathy in the first place was to keep anyone you didn’t want hearing your conversation from doing just that simply by being close enough to where you were, and Saber turned his thoughts to what he was going to have to do, he roughly pushed aside how sick it made him feel to be planning any such thing. Shara was right: there wasn’t anything he could do for her in her condition, and the chance that she was planning to give him wasn’t something that he could pass up.

Not if he wanted to survive.

When he felt a surge of energy, almost like a Teknoman’s transformation but of a whole different magnitude, Saber threw himself forward, activating his thrusters in a burst of power as the lancers that had pinned him to the cliff face were torn away by his momentum.

(I’m sorry,) said, knowing even as he did that those were stupid last words to leave someone with.

(I know, Cain. Take care of Ness; and make sure that you take care of yourself, too.)

There wasn’t any more time for words then, and not really much he could have said in any case, so Saber just poured all of the speed he could manage into his thrusters, hoping to outrun the wave of destruction that he could sense building behind him. Hitting Spear head-on, he didn’t even look back as his momentum flattened the evil Teknoman and he literally ran over him, planting an armored foot on some part of Spear’s anatomy that he didn’t have time to look back an appreciate.

All that he could do now was fly…

110101001101

As the energies of Shara’s self-destruct consumed the remains of the Space Knight Command Center, along with anyone unfortunate enough to have still been trapped in there while the evacuation alarms were presumably going off non-stop, Slade could barely spare a thought for anything else but the awful, awesome destruction that he was forced to bear helpless witness to. He knew that Shara was dead, since he’d felt the mental link that they had both shared cutting off with a horrible kind of finality.

He also knew that Saber was still alive, since while their mental link had gone dormant, it hadn’t cut off the way his and Shara’s had done.

Slade clung to that knowledge like a lifeline, as he guided Pegas to hover over the place where he could sense Saber had fallen. Leaping from the mech’s back, sparing only a brief thought to tell his combat partner to come when he called, Slade crouched to lessen the impact of his fall. He still ended up in an ankle-deep depression for his trouble, but he couldn’t honestly care about any of that.

Because he’d just found Saber; his younger twin had been knocked into the side of what remained of one of the mesas that had surrounded the Command Center while it had still existed, and even as he watched Saber lost his hold on his transformation. There was what looked like fresh, pink scarring on both of his younger twin’s wrists as well as at the point where Saber’s left shoulder met his body, but Slade found that he couldn’t care about any of that.

Because Saber was alive, here and now, and that was all that mattered.

“Thank God,” Slade muttered, gathering his younger twin’s unconscious form into his arms and holding him as tightly as he dared while he was still in his own armor. “Thank God.”


	26. Chronicle

Awareness was an uncertain thing, for the first few moments, before Axe was once more lucid enough to take stock of himself and his current situation. The first thing he noticed was Conrad’s head, lying listlessly in his lap. The next was Sam’s small form, moving fitfully as the youngest of his students slowly fought his way back to consciousness. The proceeding few moments were merely a blur of sensation, but Axe felt that he could at least hazard a guess as to what had happened.

 

“You did well, my student,” he said, gently gathering Conrad’s deeply unconscious form into his arms even as he allowed Sam to use his right arm to lever himself back to his feet. “You did _very_ well.”

 

“I’m glad to see the three of _you_ made it, too,” Shinji greeted, as he and Katharine made their way over across the devastated landscape.

 

“Grant, is he-”

 

“He’ll be fine,” he said, quickly cutting into Katharine’s worrying before she could truly start in earnest. “Why don’t you look after him, while Sam and I take stock of the situation?”

 

“Of course,” Katharine offered quickly, once again proving that his initial assessment of her still held true; she really would be a good match for Conrad.

 

Smiling softly as Katherine gathered Conrad up in her arms, speaking softly to him as though he was still lucid enough to hear her in his current state, he turned to Sam and nodded to signal the younger Teknoman to come along with him. Moving slightly away from the other members of their group – the small family that Conrad had brought together; and that Ness and Cain clearly sought to destroy, for whatever absurd reasons they might have – Axe brought out his teknocrystal and nodded to Sam as he did the same.

 

The sense of Rapier’s transformation taking place right next to him lead Axe to smile slightly; but, the fact that the first thing he heard after completing his transformation was Shinji’s grousing over the loss of his hair tie, caused Axe’s smile to widen into an amused grin.

 

“Perhaps it’s time you considered cutting it,” he suggested, not particularly seriously; all of them were permitted their little vanities, after all.

 

Shinji turned to him, a shamelessly exaggerated expression of shock on his face. “ _Perish_ the thought.”

 

The four of them shared a laugh, before he and Rapier took to the air, in search of Ness, Cain, or any of those humans who they would need to deal with.

 

101001010

 

 _I could really get to hate that guy,_ Ringo mused, as he took stock of the injuries that Spear and his cronies – that pint-sized thug in particular – had left him with. He was pretty much crippled right now, what with his right arm and left leg having been all but snapped like dry twigs. Still, he was grateful in a distant sort of way that something had called Spear and his cronies away, even if it was going to end up causing trouble for the rest of the Space Knights down the line.

 

The sharp chirp of his comm. gave him something else to focus on, and Ringo was glad for the reprieve.

 

“You guys have no _idea_ how happy I am to get this call,” he said. Tina, speaking from the other end of the line, sounded just about as happy to hear him as he was to hear from her. “So, what did you call me for?”

 

Apparently, the Command Center had been almost completely devastated by Spear and his cronies; they’d been fighting Saber and Shara, and then there had been some kind of huge explosion that took out basically everything in the area. He wasn’t even talking to Tina from her normal post; no, she was contacting him from some kind of mobile squawk-box while she, the Commander, and all of the surviving Space Knight support-staff evac’d from the remains of the Command Center before it all started falling down on their heads. He spared about half a minute to hope that their boys had survived – while at the same time hoping that Spear and his cronies _hadn’t_ – before he detailed his current situation and got orders to sit tight.

 

Star and Maggie had evidently been able to find a prototype tank – the Green Earth – to escape in, and even now they were attempting to rendezvous with the other elements of the Space Knights. The two of them were particularly interested in finding Slade and Saber, of course; not that he couldn’t guess the reason for _that_.

 

Carefully arranging his broken limbs, Ringo waited for his two current favorite people in the world to show up.

 

00100101001

 

When Saber had started to show signs of waking up, Slade futilely wished that he could have given more than just his vest to his younger twin while they were both making their way away from what remained of the Command Center. Strong as his younger twin was, Saber’s comparatively pale skin meant that his younger twin would burn more easily in the sun. And sure, they both had Pegas to help shield them both from that, but Slade still couldn’t help wishing that he could have done more.

 

Gathering Saber back up onto his back, as his younger brother had started to slip free, Slade kept walking.

 

“So, do you have _any_ idea where we’re going?” he heard Saber ask.

 

Slade sighed, rubbing the broken remains of Shara’s crystal that he’d managed to recover; it was the same way that another person might rub at charm of their own, but Slade didn’t know if that kind of thing would bring him luck or not. “Honestly? Not really. It’s just, away from here seems to be our best bet right now.”

 

“Well, I suppose I can’t argue with your logic there,” Saber said, with a brief sigh of his own. “I heard the rest of the Space Knights were evacuating; I hope they made it out all right.”

 

“Yeah,” he muttered, knowing Saber would hear it. “I do, too.”

 

Licking his dry lips, Slade sighed again. He didn’t quite know what he and Saber were going to do, from this day forward, not after all that they’d lost, but he _did_ know what their focus was going to be for the immediate future: they were going to find a way to get to the Moon, so that the two of them could finally end this battle of theirs.

 

They were going to find a way to kill Darkon, even if it killed them both in turn.

 

When he heard Saber’s annoyed sigh, and felt his younger twin’s breath ruffling his hair, Slade could just barely manage to hold back a sigh of his own. “What is it _now_?”

 

“Oh, the usual crapload of Spider-crabs, showing up for the usual reasons.”

 

“Figures.”

 

Letting Saber slide down off his back, knowing that his younger twin would never agree to being left out of battle no matter _how_ many arguments Slade tried to marshal, Slade turned back to Pegas.

 

Transforming even as Saber did the same, Slade landed in front of Saber as Pegas drove them into the midst of the Spider-crab swarm that continued to descend toward this desolate patch of land. Carving their way through the masses of Spider-crabs in front of them, occasionally turning to deal with the ones who had appeared behind them, Slade could feel a strange energy building within him from somewhere.

 

He couldn’t determine where it was coming from, since he hadn’t started the charging process for a Tekno-bolt and there wasn’t any other source of energy aside from the transformation itself that he knew of that carried that same kind of feeling. When the new energy began building to the point that he could feel it thrumming in his body, Slade began to wonder in earnest just what in the hell was going on.

 

_(Saber!)_

 

His younger twin was at his side in what seemed like half a second, and as the corona of energy that he’d felt building up while he’d been engaging in battle against the massed Spider-crabs flung them up and out farther than Slade had ever flown without the aid of the Blue Earth.

 

 _(What… what_ was _that?)_

_(I’m not really sure of that, myself,)_ his younger twin said, letting Slade know that he’d inadvertently projected that thought.

 

 _(Yeah,)_ he muttered, looking down at the remains of Shara’s crystal that he’d still had in his hand when he’d transformed.

 

There was still a subtle glow emanating from the broken crystal. _(I’m starting to think I might know what caused that boost we just got. Look,)_ he said, holding Shara’s crystal up so that Saber would be able to get a better look at it.

 

 _(Yeah, I think you might be right,)_ he heard, as Saber cupped his armored hands around Slade’s own.

 

The subtle glow that had suffused the remains of Shara’s teknocrystal had faded out almost entirely by now, but Slade could still remember the power that he’d felt from it.

 

 _(You know, if a broken crystal could get us_ this _far out-)_

_(I know; imagine what a whole one might do,)_ Saber said, picking up on the thought like he’d been having the same one.

 

Slade figured he had been; it was an easy enough thing to figure out, once you were presented with the basics, really. Now, all that remained was to get one. And lucky them, they just so happened to have a good – not _easy_ , no one but an idiot would call what they were going to be doing _easy_ – source of crystals; enough for the both of them to take one each.

 

Thinking of that brought a brief, grim smile to Slade’s face, even as the last light in Shara’s teknocrystal slowly faded away.

 

0100101001

 

 _(That’s the third time I’ve seen that tank, Goddard-sensei,)_ Rapier reported.

 

Axe turned his armored head in the direction that his youngest student had indicated, and he  narrowed his eyes in consideration. _(You’re right, Sam; we_ have _certainly been seeing a lot of that tank, lately.)_ He paused for a moment, considering the vehicle as it continued to trundle forward to some unknown destination. _(Maybe you could go down and investigate?)_

_(You really think it’s something important, Goddard-sensei?)_

_(I think it’s something_ interesting _, Sam,)_ he said, smiling as he set his armored left hand – right still grasping the shaft of his halberd – atop Rapier’s head. _(Whether or not it’s important remains to be seen.)_

 

He only had to give Rapier a gentle push to his right shoulder, before his youngest student leapt down from the back of the creature that Spear had rode on – the one that Axe was borrowing while his eldest student recovered from the damage he’d taken trying to defend them all from Shara’s insane last-ditch effort to kill them – and landed lightly in the forest of still-immature teknopods that they had been flying over. He could both see and _sense_ the burst of energy when Sam released his transformation, and Axe was pleased to know that his lessons on subterfuge had sunk in so well.

 

It wouldn’t do, after all, for whatever humans they were inevitably going to be going to deal with seeing a _Teknoman_ – even one Sam’s size – come striding out of a forest of teknopods.

 

10101001011

 

As the Green Earth’s engines rumbled, driving the tank further on through the forest of teknopods that Star was doing her best to ignore the presence of, Star couldn’t help but wonder just what had become of Slade and Saber. She was at least reasonably sure that the both of them had survived the destruction of the Command Center, considering all that they had both survived before that, but she still couldn’t stop herself from wondering just when they would all meet up again.

 

“Hold it,” she heard Maggie say, bringing her attention back to the present moment and all of the upheavals therein. “There’s someone up ahead.”

 

Looking out through the Green Earth’s large windscreen, Star found that there was indeed someone coming out of the forest of teknopods. Coming from the left, relative to the Green Earth’s own path through the forest.

 

“Wait, that’s just a _kid_ ,” Ringo said, sounding about as surprised as she felt, hearing that. “What in the heck is a kid doing out this far all alone?”

 

Normally, she would have been worried about someone so young being anywhere close to all of those horrible teknopods, but there was something uncomfortably familiar about this particular boy; something that made it all but impossible for her to express her usual sympathy in the face of the strange boy who was even then starting to wave to them as though to signal the Green Earth to stop.

 

Turning back to her computer station, Star pulled up the crew manifest from the Argos mission that she had downloaded after hearing the story of what had happened to Slade and Saber’s family. Because, while what had happened to the Carter family and their friends was horrible, it was also a fact that the survivors of that mission – as horrible a thing as something like that was to think about – were a threat to the remaining people who wanted to live free on Earth.

 

Soon enough, Star found the exact reason why this boy in particular made her feel more and more unnerved the closer the Green Earth got to him. “Heads up; that’s not just any kid out there, that’s Sam Carter.”

 

“ _Carter_?” Maggie echoed, and Star saw the other woman look from her to the seemingly-innocent young boy – only fourteen, according to the dossier that had been compiled on him – standing just a few meters in front of them now, still waving them down. “You mean, from the Argos?”

 

“The very same,” she muttered, looking up at the rapidly-approaching form of the Radam Teknoman – he looked so gentle, almost _fragile_ , standing there in those ill-fitting clothes; he had an albino’s natural paleness, and the colorless hair that she had seen so many times when she spoke to the Commander – that continued waving them down as they approached.

 

“So, _that’s_ what that pint-sized thug looks like without his armor,” Ringo growled, reminding Star that he’d had a closer encounter with Sam Carter – by whatever name the Radam had given him when they had twisted him into one of their evil Teknomen – than any of them had had so far.

 

“Yeah,” she muttered, feeling her eyes burn with tears.

 

What had happened to the Carter family and all of those other poor people aboard the Argos when they had encountered the Radam had been horrible enough even to hear about, but now to see one of the very people that had been destroyed by them – twisted and tortured until he was nothing more than a shell of the boy he’d once been – was infinitely worse than any story, no matter how clearly told, could ever be.

 

“At least he’s alone,” Maggie said, sounding like she was searching for something to give them all hope, small hope as it might have been. “As much consolation as _that_ is, considering.”

 

“Yeah,” she muttered.

 

By now, all of them knew full well that every Teknoman – whether fully transformed by the Radam or not – was telepathic and could contact any number of their fellow Teknomen with only a thought. So the fact that this one was all alone really didn’t mean anything; not even considering how small and harmless he looked. Even when she was dying from the aftereffects of the incomplete transformation she’d been forced to endure, Shara had been able to fight off any of the Spider-crabs that had attacked, and she’d still been able to outrun Spear for as long as her strength had lasted.

 

And now, considering how the transformation had obviously taken for Sam as it hadn’t for Shara, facing him would be all the more dangerous for all of them. Particularly considering Ringo’s condition. He couldn’t very well use the Tekno-suit, with his right arm and left leg still delicate from being broken the way they had.

 

“Maggie, stop here,” she said, having just come to a decision.

 

“What?” the other woman asked, turning to look her way just as Star had tucked the gun that she had carried with her ever since they had evacuated the wreck of the Command Center out of sight. “Why in the world would you want us to _stop_ , when there’s a Radam Teknoman not seven paces up ahead?”

 

“Maggie, please,” she entreated, already standing and beginning to make her way to the entrance / exit of the Green Earth.

 

Maggie’s gaze passed over her, lingering for a moment on the bulge of the gun tucked into her belt, before she nodded. “All right; just be careful out there. That’s still a Teknoman you’re going to be dealing with.”

 

“I know.”

 

None of the others said anything as Star rose from her seat and began to make her way out, but Tina did give her a long look as she made her way out. As she began to hear the soft sound of someone knocking at the Green Earth’s hull, knowing just who it had to be, she swallowed hard. Shifting the gun she was carrying further out of sight, so that Sam wouldn’t be able to spot it the way her fellow Space Knights had managed to, Star continued over to the Green Earth’s exit.

 

Even though Star knew what she was doing had to be done, since for all Sam Carter’s fragile appearance he was still one of Darkon’s Teknomen and hence just as dangerous as Spear, she still couldn’t help the thought that she was essentially going to be shooting a child. Still, whoever Sam Carter had been before Darkon had gotten to him, that boy was dead now. All that was left was the evil Teknoman; that concept was born out clearly by her encounter with Spear in that church, back when Slade and Saber’s insane older brother had been attempting to bring them back into Darkon’s fold.

 

The door opened, and in just a few moments the knocking at the Green Earth’s hull stopped entirely.

 

“Hello?”

 

Forcing herself not to wince after hearing that soft, gentle sounding voice – Spear’s had been just as gentle, for all that it had naturally been much deeper than Sam’s – Star stepped down from the interior of the Green Earth and began to make her way closer to where Sam stood. He was facing her now, an expression of curiosity on his pale – paler than Saber’s, even – face. Even the red eyes that had looked so unnatural on Spear fit into his face, since she’d seen the Commander’s eyes often enough that she’d become used to seeing just that color on an albino.

 

Still, Sam’s red eyes weren’t the natural product of his albinism; they were the mark of someone who had been turned into a monster by the Radam.

 

“Hi,” Star said, trying to make her voice sound gentle so that she wouldn’t provoke any kind of reaction from Sam – she almost _wanted_ to know the name the Radam had given him, if only so she could stop thinking of him as a human boy while she was facing him – and at the same time trying to subtly maneuver him away from the Green Earth so that the others would have more time to get away if another Teknoman showed up. “Are you lost?”

 

“I was looking for someplace I could stay,” Sam said, and Star was unnerved by just how _sincere_ he managed to sound even though she knew he had to be lying. “I guess I wandered a bit too far into this forest,” Sam wrapped his arms around his chest, and even though Star _knew_ that he was deliberately making himself seem uncertain and vulnerable, she was hard-pressed not to react to the effort. “Because now I can’t find my way out.”

 

Moving to stand closer to Sam, still wanting to get him away from the Green Earth but not knowing just how she could manage that since he was bound to notice if she started trying to lead him back into the Radam’s forest when he’d just said he was looking for a way out of there, Star tried to think of another way to deal with him.

 

“Miss, do you think I could travel with you, in that big truck of yours?” Sam asked; Star shuddered at the earnest tone of his voice. She _knew_ he was lying, but it was getting harder and harder to make herself realize that, consciously. “Because I’m all alone out here, and… well, you kind of look like my mom. At least, the pictures I saw of her; she died when I was very young.”

 

“Well, let’s see if we can get you cleaned up a bit,” Star said, moving closer to Sam and trying to make it look like all she wanted to do was what she’d spoken to him about. “Come on.”

 

The fact that Sam was actually willing to let her guide him – however gently – back nearer to the line of teknoplants that he’d said he’d just come out of, was just as unnerving as anything else about the Teknoman she was being forced to deal with. Gently brushing out his hair with her left hand, trying not to be distracted by the softness of Sam’s colorless hair against her fingers, Star carefully unlimbered the gun she’d taken steps to conceal from Sam’s line of sight.

 

Aiming it squarely at the back of Sam’s head, not wanting to endanger any of her fellow Space Knights by the evil Teknoman’s continued survival, and also not wanting to burden Slade or Saber with having to kill another member of their family, Star tensed her finger on the trigger. God knew they were already having enough trouble with Spear.

 

“Are you really going to shoot me, miss?” Sam asked, and Star saw him turn to look back at her over his right shoulder, leaving her gun now pointed at his right eye. “That’s not very nice.”

 

A shudder ran the length of Star’s spine, as those red eyes – the same eyes that Spear, and probably all of the Radam Teknomen, had possessed – fixed on her past the gun she’d aimed at him. She stepped back, nearly at the same time that Sam himself leaped lightly away from her like some kind of gazelle, and she quickly found herself facing him across a gap that was more than wide enough for him to transform and attack her any time he wanted.

 

The next thing Star saw, as she fired a shot that Sam quickly crouched out of the way of, was the subtle sign of one Teknoman attempting to make contact with another of their kind. Firing as fast as she could, and watching in frustration as Sam nimbly dodged all of her shots as he leapt to the top of one of one of the nearby teknoplants, Star had soon expended the last of her ammunition. Her blood chilled when she saw the huge, armored form of the other Teknoman that had responded to Sam’s call.

 

“Oh, so this is what my student reported on,” the stocky, broad-shouldered Teknoman in green-shaded armor said, looking down at the Green Earth and her crew with a halberd that seemed to be his main weapon in the same way that Slade and Saber’s lances were theirs. “Nicely spotted, Sam.”

 

When this new, armored Teknoman lowered his halberd so that Sam could grab onto it, lifting the smaller Teknoman up with one hand onto the back of a creature that looked nearly identical to the one that Spear had rode into battle when he’d faced Slade and Saber, Star caught her first glimpse of just how strong a Teknoman in full armor could really be. Of course, the fact that Sam had been fast enough to dodge bullets had long since brought home how _fast_ a Teknoman could be.

 

It wasn’t a comforting thing, being faced with a pair of superhumans who lacked even the most basic scruples or humanity that Slade and Saber possessed.

 

00010010100

 

Holding Conrad close to her, feeling his warm breath on her neck as she continued to make her way through the lush forest of teknoplants that the Radam had planted, Sword hoped that he was feeling the same returning strength that she did, surrounded by the nutrient gas that the plants gave off. She didn’t know, since she couldn’t see any life returning to her love’s face, and his body was just as warm as any other Teknoman’s. Still, after the sacrifice that he had made to protect all of them from his mad sister and those faithless traitors he called younger brothers, Sword knew that it was probably a vain hope that he would wake anytime soon.

 

Looking back up, she saw that Lance had stopped walking and now had his head cocked slightly, as though listening to some far-off sounds, she paused. Halting her own forward motion, Sword was just about to ask just what it was that Lance thought was so important, when she herself began to hear the sounds of footsteps slowly approaching from their left. Turning that way, not having sensed the approach of any of her fellow Teknomen and so knowing that it couldn’t be Axe or Rapier coming to meet with them, Sword wondered just what breed of foolish humans had chosen to die this day.

 

“See, I told you there was people up ahead,” one of the humans said, and Sword narrowed her eyes in annoyance; she hated it when those she met could not speak properly.

 

“All right, so you were right,” the human at the forefront of the group, the one who seemed to be the leader of this particularly pitiful band of a pitiful breed, said. “What, you want me to congratulate you?”

 

“Look at that one back there,” one of the stouter humans – though he would have been no match for Axe even if Axe _had_ merely been a human, himself – said, pointing squarely at her. “Ain’t _she_ a pretty one?”

 

Clenching her jaw, even as she held Conrad closer to her, Sword knew just what these – most useless of all humans that they were – had to have in mind. They were fools to even _consider_ such a thing, and naturally all of them would die for their presumption, but it seemed that she wouldn’t even have to lift a finger to see these particular cretins punished.

 

“Oh my, there seems to be something rather wrong with your spine,” Lance said, cheerfully snapping the neck of the human who had been so arrogant as to attempt to single her out simply for the fact that she was the sole woman – Teknoman though she was – among the small group that she was traveling with. “It seems to be _broken_.”

 

 _(Why don’t you allow_ me _to handle this, Sword?)_ Lance offered, even as one of the other humans foolishly attempted to attack him and he broke their neck with a high-kick. _(You just make sure that our dearest leader is taken care of, hmm?)_

_(Yes,)_ she agreed, looking down into the slumbering face of her love; she’d no need to dirty her hands with this rabble when Lance could handle them just as well, and would clearly take more enjoyment in the process. _(I leave this in your capable hands, dearest Lance.)_

 

She felt his amusement through the telepathic link that all Teknomen shared, but she was not entirely certain whether it was caused by her own turn of phrase, or the sheer ease with which he was shattering what little resistance the humans could muster against him.

 

Knowing that Lance was more than capable of dealing with any number of humans, even without the protection of his transformed state considering how pathetic an adversary any of these fools would inevitably prove to be without even the rudimentary weapons that these creatures armed themselves with, Sword settled into a crouch so that she could rest at least _some_ of Conrad’s weight on the ground; since love him though she did, Sword was forced to admit that his unconscious form couldn’t remotely be considered light.

 

The dense bone and toned musculature that made her love one of the best of those warriors who had been chosen to serve the glorious Radam Empire also, unfortunately, made him rather a task to carry now that he had been rendered insensate through his sacrifice.

 

Sword briefly looked up, as she heard Lance making a rather crude taunt, and shook her head in exasperated amusement. Yes, it likely _was_ rather disconcerting for those humans that Lance was fighting in the nude, and probably far more disconcerting that he was _winning_ , but there was truly no reason for him to indulge in such childishness. Still, speaking of it now would likely distract him from his opponents, and after the battle he wasn’t particularly likely to care about what she though of his remarks.

 

Particularly to a human, since their opinions counted for so little in the first place.

 

So Sword decided to ignore Lance’s little faux pas, intentional though it might have easily been, and simply cradled Conrad’s head closer to her body while she sat and waited for Lance to finish dealing with the humans who had been so foolish as to attempt to harm any of those who would properly be their masters.

 

When she heard the heavy _thump_ of something rather large being dropped at her feet, Sword looked down to see the corpse of one of the humans who had been so stupidly audacious as to threaten them.

 

“And what do you think I would want with _this_?” she asked, rather nonplussed by the sight of the dead human who had been dropped so abruptly at her feet.

 

“Well, the both of us _are_ going to need sustenance, if we’re to be of any more use during this campaign,” Lance said, and Sword narrowed her eyes slightly as she considered the merits of what he was saying. “And, I do remember reading that the flesh of these creatures tastes rather like pork.”

 

She chuckled; that fit rather well, that these squalling little things would taste like the little creatures they had once used for food. And, that she, her love, and Lance – who were as high above them as they were above those puny creatures – would use _them_ for sustenance, in turn. It was indeed rather fitting, now that Sword was given the time to reflect on such.

 

Lance was even courteous enough to wrench the arms – and _only_ the arms, since she had little interest in the legs of these creatures, more substantial meals that they might have been – from the corpses so that she did not have to disturb her love where he slept. Biting into the yielding flesh at the top of the arm she was holding, Sword quickly swallowed the blood that welled up in her mouth, even as she continued to thoroughly chew the meat that she had taken in.

 

Once she had reduced the mass to mush, almost to the consistency of food that one would feed an infant, Sword gathered Conrad closer into her arms and pressed her lips against his even as she gently pried his unresisting jaw open. Her dearest, unconscious love reflexively swallowed the meat she’d just given to him, and Sword leaned back against a nearby teknoplant as she began to prepare another such bite.

 

First, she would see to it that her dearest love would survive these troubled times, and then Sword would see to her own needs.

 

01001010011

 

The first time he’d transformed after the latest in a long line of horrors he’d been forced to face, he’d had Shara’s crystal tucked neatly away in his pocket, having found it just after getting Cain dressed in the clothes he could spare and therefore not having had much time to really contemplate just what it was that he was looking at – how much loss was represented by such a simple-seeming thing like the crystal shard he could hide in the palm of either hand – but the next of the Spider-crab attacks that it seemed he and Saber were forced to face every time they seemed to be getting their feet back under them after whatever new tragedy had happened to them. This time, he and Saber had been sitting together, Shara’s crystal cupped in his hands and Saber’s cupped around his in turn, just thinking about all that they’d lost.

 

There had been no more hesitation, then: whatever Conrad and the others had been before, all of them would have to die for what they had done to Shara, even over and above what they were trying to do to the Earth.

 

Shara’s crystal had still been clenched in his right hand, even as Slade had leaped into Pegas’ interlock-chamber and felt the energies of his transformation fill him. Only this time, there had nearly been more energy than even _he_ was prepared to handle. He’d called to Saber, at least he was fairly sure he had, but he could sense his younger twin’s presence close by in any case.

 

The Spider-crabs that had been descending for another attack were destroyed completely in the wake of what felt like a much, _much_ more powerful variant of his Tekno-battle mode, and as Slade felt the energies inside him continuing to pour out without even the slightest hint of tapering off, he couldn’t help but wonder just where he and Saber were ultimately going to end up.

 

Right then, the rush of energy that had flung him this far into the air and torn through the Spider-crabs in his way like so much used tissue paper, dissipated and left Slade staring up at the Space Ring, just a few _feet_ in front of him. Turning to look back at Saber, he saw the confusion plainly expressed by his younger twin’s body language, and a slight smile worked its way onto his face.

 

_(Well, I’d say this is a fair bit further than last time, wouldn’t you?)_

Saber’s chuckle, along with his younger twin’s amusement, came clearly over the link that they both shared. _(Yeah; I’d have to say you’re right.)_

_(What we said before, I’m even more sure of it now,)_ he said, looking down at the still-glowing shard of Shara’s crystal he held in his right hand.

 

_(Yeah.)_

 

With no Spider-crabs to threaten them anymore, Slade turned Pegas back toward the Earth and dove. Seeing it all like that, nearly all in one piece even if only for such a short time, brought home just what he and Saber were fighting for again. They weren’t just in this for themselves; everyone still living on Earth was depending on them. Seeing Saber’s right hand on his left shoulder, even though he couldn’t feel it through his armor, brought the smile that had slipped away back to his face.

 

At the very least, Slade could take comfort in the fact that he wasn’t alone; that _neither_ of them were alone, separated as they were from their fellow Space Knights.

 

As the two of them dove back through the atmosphere, Slade began to consider just which of the evil Teknomen that he and Saber were facing now would make the most opportune targets. Forcing Spear to give up _his_ teknocrystal, while it did appeal to the part of Slade that wanted vengeance for what had happened to Shara, didn’t really seem to be in the cards for the moment. Particularly since he didn’t exactly know if Spear had actually survived.

 

And, under the circumstances, Slade didn’t particularly know what he was hoping for.

 

11101010011

 

 _Hmm, now_ that’s _an interesting development,_ Axe mused, looking up as he felt a powerful – and powerfully familiar – surge of energy. _(Sam, withdraw.)_

_(Are you sure that’s a good idea, Goddard-sensei? Don’t you want me to finish dealing with these humans we found?)_

_(They’re not much of a threat to_ anyone _, except maybe a few unlucky Spider-crabs,)_ he said, even as Rapier wove out of the way of another shot of that gun the Tekno-suit pilot – and the pilot of the ship that he’d helped to ground permanently; a memory Axe still savored at times – was aiming at him. _(However, I just sensed something_ much _more important than any of these minor irritants here.)_

_(What is it, Goddard-sensei?)_

_(You_ would _have_ _been a bit distracted,)_ he allowed, smiling indulgently down at the youngest of his students; the little rabbit had a mean kick. _(But, I sensed our two wayward Teknomen just coming back down to Earth. And I know where they are.)_

_(All right, Goddard-sensei,)_ Rapier responded, as he obediently disengaged from what could only marginally be considered a battle and flew back up to meet Axe where he stood on Spear’s mount.

 

 _(Good. Now, my little rabbit, let’s see what our wayward Teknomen want,)_ he said, chuckling as he directed Spear’s mount toward the area where he had sensed two of his most wayward students descending back to the planet they were still so foolishly attached to even after all that defending it had cost them.

 

When Ness and Cain breached atmosphere again, he and Sam were right there to meet them. Narrowing his eyes as a thought came to him, Axe returned his attention to his youngest student. _(Sam, release your transformation; I want to see how Ness and Cain react.)_

_(All right, Goddard-sensei.)_

 

The surge of energy that burst forth as Rapier became Sam again would have clearly drawn the attention of even a Teknoman who _wasn’t_ paying attention, but the way both twins’ gazes – clear even behind the concealing effect of their respective visors – snapped to lock on the small form of his youngest student caused a distinct suspicion to take root in Axe’s mind.

 

 _(Show them your crystal, my little rabbit.)_ The brief surge of energy that accompanied the summoning of any Teknoman’s crystal was certainly not the most noticeable effect when Sam called the requested item back to his hand. No, the most noticeable effect of the favor he’d asked of Sam was when Ness – impulsive as he’d ever been – directed that mechanoid he used to transform without the use of an intact teknocrystal to charge the two of them. _Ah, so that_ is _what he wants._

 

Wrapping his left arm around Sam’s narrow chest, Axe held the little rabbit close to his armored body as he directed Spear’s mount to nimbly dodge the sudden, futile charge that his foolish, wayward student had decided to launch against them.

 

_(Goddard-sensei, do you know what’s going on?)_

_(That I do, my little rabbit,)_ he said, pleased to have been right even as he continued to dodge the attacks that Ness, and now Cain, continued to attempt on the small form of his youngest student. _(Ness thinks that, if he claims one of our crystals, he’ll be able to boost his own, weakened powers. He might even be desperate enough to think that he could make it to the Moon, to challenge Darkon himself.)_

_(Do you think he might be able to do it?)_

_(Even if he did, Lord Darkon would slaughter him in single combat,)_ holding Sam closer as he dodged yet another futile attack from Ness and Cain, Axe smiled. _(So you don’t need to worry about that, my little rabbit. Still,)_ he paused a moment, dodging another attack from Ness. _(You should probably transform again, since it’s likely we’re going to be fighting in earnest soon.)_

_(You mean, right here?)_

_(It’ll be fine, Sam,)_ he said, smiling again at the concern his youngest student was showing for him, unneeded though it was in this instance. _(I’m still in my armor, and it’s not as though we need to worry about Ness and Cain right now.)_

 

 _(All right, Goddard-sensei.)_ “Tekno-power!”

 

The surge of energy that transformed Sam into Rapier once more _was_ a rather interesting thing to sense, particularly from this close, Axe reflected as he and Rapier began engaging Ness and Cain in earnest once more. Still, their battle only lasted as long as it took for his wayward students to exhaust their limited powers – something neither of them would have had to worry about if they had simply gone back with Conrad when he had first made the offer to them, but it was clear that Ness and Cain were simply being stubborn for whatever frivolous reason they had decided on – and after that they were both forced to withdraw.

 

 _(Should we pursue them, Goddard-sensei?)_ Rapier asked, turning his armored head to look back at Axe.

 

 _(Not just yet, little rabbit,)_ he said, gently patting Rapier’s armored head. _(I need to contact Lord Darkon, and tell him what I’ve found out about our wayward Teknomen. Meanwhile, I want you to see if you can find Katharine and Shinji; we’re going to need a place to stay while we’re still on this planet, and it would be best if they were present so we could select the place that best serves our needs.)_

He knew just where Conrad would have _wanted_ to stay, if any of them had had such an option; but the Carter house wasn’t really suitable for living in at the moment, having stood so long without its caretakers, and so they were going to need at least _some_ place of residence while they all recovered and made plans. Those of them that were conscious to make plans in the first place, of course.

 

000101001011

 

As Pegas’ interlock-chamber released him, just as he was starting to feel that same, hateful disorientation and detachment that had always signaled when he was at the end of his useable time in his transformed state, Slade sat down on the rocky ground and sighed. He should have expected Axe to have outfoxed him when he’d had Rapier transform back into his human form, but all that he could think of when he’d seen the teknocrystal glittering in Rapier’s pale hands was the power that even the broken shard that was all they had left of Shara had granted them both.

 

Well, it had granted _him_ power, but he’d shared that power with Saber so the specifics didn’t matter.

 

“Guess this isn’t going to be as easy as either of us want,” Saber said, and Slade looked up to see his younger twin drop unceremoniously to the ground beside him.

 

He scoffed softly. “Guess not. Still,” he clutched the remains of Shara’s crystal tighter, feeling the edges dig into his hand. “Nothing in our lives ever seems to come easy; so really, why should this be any different?”

 

He didn’t care how long it took, and he knew that Saber didn’t, either: they _were_ going to take a pair of teknocrystals from the first pair of Radam Teknomen they could pin down – whether it was Axe and Rapier wasn’t particularly important so much as the fact that they need a pair – and they _were_ going to go to the Moon so that they could deal with Darkon _personally._

 

That was really all there was to it, in the end.


	27. Red Savior

The day seemed to be starting as all days did: they hid from the Spider-crab that prowled the streets of their village, inside the few buildings that stood, amid the alien plants that had taken root all around. Rashid called out briefly, but he was silenced just as swiftly by his grandfather. None of them truly knew if the Spider-crabs they faced would be able to hear them if they spoke in more than hushed whispers, but not a one of them was eager to find that out for themselves.

 

The signal was given, and the bombs that had been placed inside the pit traps set up around the village went off, dropping the ground out from beneath the monster and leaving it to fall into the special glue that had been mixed to hold it.

 

“It worked!” he called, having never seen one of their traps in action before this day.

 

“Quickly, to the pit!” Grandfather directed the trappers who worked to defend their village. “Hurry!”

 

He followed the trappers to the nearby pit that they had prepared to hold the Spider-crab, and saw that the creature had fallen into the specially made glue that covered the bottom of the pit in a layer thick enough to hold even such a huge creature as that one fast. As the trappers discussed the matters of their trap and whether it would hold the beast or not, and if so for how long, Rashid found himself wondering about a far more simple matter.

 

“Why don’t we simply kill the Spider-crab, Grandfather? Instead of using a trap?”

 

“Our weapons are the reason for this, Rashid,” Grandfather said, and he turned away from the beast struggling in the pit that had been prepared for it. “These monsters are too strong for mere bullets to harm them. But, as long as the creature is trapped here, then we are safe for a time.”

 

“I see,” watching as the Spider-crab in the pit struggled in the glue that held it fast. “Then we wait for the savior in red. ”

 

“What do you mean?” Grandfather asked, turning to look down at him.

 

“They all talk about the savior in red; how _he_ can destroy the Spider-crabs with help from no one.”

 

“They always tell such stories,” Grandfather said, not sounding impressed. “They _lie_.”

 

“I heard this from someone who saw it with their very own eyes!” he exclaimed.

 

“Then this person lied to you, my grandson. There is no savior, in red or any other color, who can protect us from them,” Grandfather said, with all of the wisdom that his age had granted him; still, Rashid did not want to believe such a thing. “Ever since these monsters came down from the Space Ring, people have wanted to have a protector, but there is no one. We must _ourselves_ be strong.”

 

“Yet if there really is a red savior, Grandfather, then we wouldn’t have to fear the Spider-crabs; the village would be safe.” He continued watching the Spider-crab as it struggled to free itself from the glue in the pit. “It’s as they say; our savior is the Teknoman. Though I have heard some people call him Slade, and others Saber. It is odd, but I believe in the red savior, all the same.”

 

010010010101

 

When he’d heard that kid and his grandpa talking about the Wonder Twins, Ringo had almost had to smile. Sure, the stories might’ve gotten a bit garbled in the telling, but that was probably just because it’d been a good couple months – or a bad couple, depending on how you looked at it – since all of the Space Knights had been together. People this far out from the action probably didn’t have much of a way to find out just who all of the people were who kept them safe from the Radam’s constant barrage of attacks. Well, at least as safe as anyone could be in this world, anyway.

 

And sure, it did kind of suck that Slade and Saber were starting to get confused with each other this far out, but that was what tended to happen when people were out of the loop.

 

The kid walked past him, as Ringo went to take a look down at the trapped Spider-crab. It was a bit of a coup, seeing normal people taking down one of Darkon’s pets, but he had to admit that this didn’t look all too safe from where he was standing. Having one of these things out in the open, even though it _looked_ trapped in that pit that’d been set up, was bound to attract others just like it; even if only because of that shriek they all make when they were attacking.

 

Turning away, Ringo made his way deeper into the village. The heat was staring to get to him, so he was going to find a nice, shady patch – hard as that might have been in a desert like this place – to take a bit of a rest. Of course, just catching some rest wasn’t the most pressing thing on his mind; there was always the chance that those crazy kids of theirs had stopped off here.

 

They’d have needed to find _some_ place to stay, since the Command Center had been totaled by Spear and his little wrecking crew.

 

Finding his way into the shade of a line of mostly-intact buildings, Ringo settled down to take what rest he could. He watched idly as some of the other villagers came and settled themselves down, too, once they’d gotten what they needed from the power plant hidden underneath the village. That was another reason he thought their boys might have been here: no matter how desolate it might have looked, any place with a power generator was pretty much inviting Spider-crabs to hate notice of it.

 

And, for the most part, where you found Spider-crabs, you usually found the Wonder Twins handing them their shelled butts.

 

Leaning back against the cool wall of the building whose shade he was sitting in, Ringo let himself breathe a bit easier. Sure, it hadn’t exactly been a picnic looking for those kids of theirs in every tent city and small village they’d passed, and trying to keep the Green Earth fueled while they were searching kind of cut into the time they could spend looking, but none of the Space Knights were about to give up so easily.

 

It might not have been easy, but those kids of theirs were Space Knights too, and no one who _wasn’t_ a complete idiot could deny the fact that everyone on Earth would have been a lot worse off if they didn’t have the Wonder Twins to spearhead their defense.

 

“I see you are new to the village, my friend,” the old man, who seemed to be the leader around this place, said with that calming tone that all leaders seemed to have. “You are not the first, nor will be the last, to journey here. All who come here come seeking the power that we still have, but since the monsters came, we are willing to share.”

 

The kid was the one who got up, though; offering him a canteen with a wide smile on his face. “Excuse me, sir? Are you thirsty? Would you like to have a drink?”

 

Ringo made a soft noise of agreement, but just as he had reached for the canteen the kid was offering to him, the ground shuddered and the all-too-familiar roaring shriek of a Spider-crab sounded. _Should have known today was going too well._

 

The kid and his grandpa, knowing just how things worked in this kind of situation, took off running. Ringo followed along with them, wanting to make sure the two of them at least got to safety; because as soon as they did that, he was going to double-back and deal with that crab-legged creepazoid. The kid’s grandpa really seemed to know what he was doing, which fit with the way this place had managed to keep together in the middle of the desert with a _power station_ of all things; but that Spider-crab wasn’t going to break pursuit just because these people were fast.

 

“Keep going, I’ll cover you!”

 

“We cannot do that.”

 

“Do it anyway!” he shouted; the kid’s grandpa might only be worrying about him, but if he let the guy lead a _Spider-crab_ back to whatever shelter these people used to weather Spider-crab attacks, he’d never forgive himself.

 

Drawing his pistol, he aimed for the thing’s five eyes and fired a few shots to get the twisted space crustacean’s attention. Firing and running, and more than a few times having to dodge the thing’s pointed legs as it tried to step on him, Ringo was able to draw the Spider-crab back and away from whatever shelter those people were going to be using to hide out from the Radam’s army of space crabs.

 

“Here I am! Come and get me!” he fired some more, drawing the Spider-crab back further; back toward the abandoned building where he’d stored his Tekno-suit. “Come on, ya blue-plate special!”

 

Running into the remains of the building, beyond the still barely-intact arch that must have been the remains of another building judging from all the rubble inside it, Ringo pulled the cloth he was wearing on his head down just that little bit more to shield his eyes from all of the dust and debris thrown up by the Spider-crab as it charged after him. He could, just barely, make out the blue-on-white form of the Tekno-suit he had stored here for when he’d inevitably need it.

 

It might not have had the sheer, overwhelming power that either of the Wonder Twins could bring down on these things, but then dealing with _these_ things you really didn’t need the same kind of power you’d have needed to face down a _Teknoman_.

 

Firing his Z-tron gun at the Spider-crab as it continued attacking, Ringo breathed a bit easier when he blew one of the thing’s legs clean off. Sure, one less leg might seem to be much of a coup with how fuck-off huge these things were, but once you’d been fighting them for long enough, you got real good at recognizing their structural weaknesses when you saw them.

 

Of course, what he saw next was a hell of a lot more threatening than any Spider-crab; even the fact that he was facing a whole _swarm_ of their flying-types wasn’t nearly as gut-clenchingly terrifying as the two armored figures – one big and stocky, the other small and lithe – standing on top of that one-eyed flying purple platform that Spear had always seemed to ride around on.

 

“You’re right, that’s _not_ a Teknoman,” the familiar, deep voice of the Teknoman whose name he’d learned was Axe, said. “That’s just some poor, pathetic sap trying to _imitate_ a Teknoman. It’s almost a waste of time, stopping to deal with it.”

 

“If you fight as well as you talk, this _might_ be a challenge!” he called back; sure, this was probably the stupidest thing he could be doing, but there were people here he had to protect. “But I kinda doubt it!”

 

Axe laughed again. “Are you really so arrogant as to think you can face the teacher, when you haven’t even defeated _one_ of my students? Speaking of which: Sam?”

 

That pint-sized thug leaped down from that flying, one-eyed purple platform, landing on one knee with his armored right fist buried in the ground. The kid – much as Ringo might not have liked thinking about it, this was still a _kid_ he was facing – got back to his feet with the same, practiced-looking smoothness that every Teknoman seemed to have, and Ringo had only a few moments to wonder if it was really true that Axe had taught every one of the Teknomen – Slade and Saber included – how to fight, before the little thug broke out into a dead-run and body-slammed him through the wall of the building they’d both been fighting in front of.

 

Groaning as he forced himself back to his feet, Ringo found himself almost immediately yanked up and _off_ said feet, hoisted up and over the little Tekno-thug’s head, and pile-driven into the ground with a force that Ringo could only be grateful hadn’t crushed his skull or broken his spine. Struggling back to his feet, Ringo panted harshly for only a few moments before he was forced to raise his arms to block the sudden barrage of kicks the little thug was aiming at him.

 

The sight of that kid running up to him, where he’d been knocked back from what felt like having a steam-piston slammed into his head, chilled Ringo’s blood over even the sight of that pint-sized thug Axe called his student coming for him; after all, he’d only been risking his _own_ life, before. Having this kid mixing it up with that pint-sized thug in the armor – whose name he’d have _really_ liked to know, so he could stop thinking of him as just a kid named Sam already – aside from giving him the cold shakes just _thinking_ about what’d probably happen to him, meant there was one more variable in this fight.

 

Because, small as that pint-sized thug in the armor was, this was still a _Teknoman_ they were talking about here.

 

“What’re you doing out here, kid? Go back!”

 

Before the kid could say one more word, that pint-sized Tekno-thug had grabbed him by the neck and hauled him into the air. Ringo could feel the air leaving his lungs, as he looked at the kid as he struggled in the armored grip of that damned Radam Teknoman.

 

“Let the kid go!” he shouted, knowing it was probably a futile gesture but needing to do _something_ , all the same. “This fight’s between you and me, remember?!”

 

He could have sworn he heard the little Tekno-thug scoffing, but what happened next wasn’t remotely what he’d been expecting: the little Tekno-thug leaped up and flew into the air, just as a wide, emerald beam slammed into the spot where he’d been standing just a second ago. A very _familiar_ wide, emerald beam.

 

Grinning under his helmet as he looked up to the sky, tracking the beam back to its source, and wondering for a long moment just why it was only _Slade_ who’d fired, Ringo squinted into the sun for a moment before the polarized lenses of his Tekno-suit’s visor were able to compensate and give him a clear view of just what he knew he’d be seeing. And sure enough, there they were: the Wonder Twins and Pegas, all three of them backlit by the sun.

 

It was as dramatic an entrance as anyone could ask for, and for a few moments Ringo couldn’t help thinking that that was the point.

  
10100111101001

 

 _(Saber, go and help that kid down there,)_ Slade said, just the way Saber had been expecting him to after what they’d both seen. _(I’ll deal with Axe and his Spider-crabs.)_

_(Sure thing, big brother,)_ he said, leaping lightly down from Pegas’ back to land in a spray of crushed, broken rock just behind Rapier and the kid he was currently strangling.

 

Grabbing the smaller Teknoman’s right arm, just above the hand he was using to hold – not _strangle_ , at least not yet – that kid up by the neck, Saber squeezed and brutally twisted that arm as he forced Rapier to release his hold. The evil Teknoman turned to look back at him over his narrow right shoulder.

 

_(Cain, how could you be so cruel?)_

 

Barely suppressing an enraged snarl at the sullen glow of those evil red eyes, Saber whipped Rapier through the air and slammed him into the rocky ground hard enough to leave a fairly good impression of Rapier’s armored body in said ground. Ignoring the pained sounds that the evil Teknoman was making – it was _so_ much easier to tell himself that this wasn’t Sam when they were both in armor – Saber slammed another punch into the center of Rapier’s back, just below his thrusters, to _keep_ the evil Teknoman down.

 

Slade’s warning shout came almost on the heels of Axe’s shoulder-tackle, though he knew his older twin had probably meant to call out _before_ that, so Saber found himself knocked into a crater of his own by the charging form of the larger evil Teknoman.

 

 _(We aren’t_ finished _here, Axe!)_

_(Actually Slade, we are. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll meet again soon!)_

 

With that Axe, with the smaller form of Rapier cradled in his arms – Saber tried not to remember those times when their dad had carried Sam to bed – flew off on the same type of creature that Spear had always used to travel when he’d been the one that the two of them were facing. Getting back to his feet, Saber looked to where Slade was standing, his older twin still staring up at the sky where Axe had made his escape from.

 

Shaking his head, Saber turned to look at Ringo. Their old comrade seemed to be recovering his equilibrium as well as anyone could ask for under the circumstances. His armored helmet was off, retracted back so that it stuck up at the back of his head.

 

“Thanks, Ringo,” Slade said, and Saber could tell that his older twin was smiling under his helmet.

 

“Yeah; you did good out there, considering,” he said, offering his own, unseen smile to his and Slade’s fellow Space Knight.

 

“I have not _ever_ seen anything like that!” the kid he’d rescued from becoming Rapier’s latest victim crowed. “You saved our village, you saved our power! You saved us.” The kid turned to face him straight-on, and Saber saw him smile wider. “And you, you saved _me_! I had not thought that there would be two saviors in red, but I suppose it does explain why those I have heard these tales from would sometimes speak of a Teknoman Slade, and other times of a Teknoman Saber. But, if I may ask, which one of you is which?”

 

“I’m Slade, and this is my twin brother, Saber,” Slade introduced them both.

 

“The introductions are nice and all,” Ringo said, calling pretty much everyone’s attention to him, which seemed to be what he’d been aiming for in the first place. “But don’t you think you’re forgetting something, Saber?”

 

He chuckled softly. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

 

After all, it was always best to transform back when you had a chance to, rather than waiting until you were forced to.

 

1101010010111

 

He wondered for a few moments just what Teknoman Saber had been discussing with the man that was so clearly his friend, when suddenly Teknoman Saber began _glowing_. He had only a moment to wonder why one of the saviors in red would glow with a blue light brighter than the desert sky, when the form of Teknoman Saber vanished into that same light. Rashid only had to blink three times, then he found a young man – beardless, with the unlined face of a youth who seemed not even to have reached his prime – standing in the place that had been occupied by the Teknoman Saber.

 

“I think you’d be better off getting out of that suit of yours too, Slade,” the man who had tried to save them all before their saviors in red had arrived – the man who seemed to be trying to protect them even as the saviors in red protected the Earth – said, and Teknoman Slade nodded his armored head.

 

“Yeah, you _are_ probably right.”

 

He heard Teknoman Slade thanking the man, whose name he learned was Ringo, but by then Rashid had returned his attention to the Teknoman Saber. Or, the youth who wore the armor of the Teknoman Saber. Ringo seemed to use both his and Slade’s names as though they were those that they had been given by their parents, though Rashid did not know of anyone who would give such names to their own children.

 

“Hey there,” the Teknoman Saber said, his voice more gentle than Rashid had ever heard from one who did not live in their village.

 

“Hello,” he said, looking up into the pale, unlined face of the man who wore the armor of the Teknoman Saber. Reaching out for his hand, Rashid smiled as the Teknoman Saber crouched down so that he could more clearly see the bright, blue eyes of the youth who had chosen to offer himself in defense of those who could not defend themselves.

 

Reaching out to take the hand of the youth now crouching before him, Rashid saw the Teknoman’s slight smile as he allowed his hand to be examined. The Teknoman’s flesh, in clear contrast to the armor that he had been wearing, was as soft as it was pale. It also felt warmer to the touch than any other’s that Rashid had felt in his life. With only a moment’s pause, to see if the Teknoman Saber objected in any way to his actions, Rashid gently pressed his right hand against the unarmored Teknoman’s right cheek.

 

The flesh there was as soft as that of the Teknoman’s unarmored hands, and for a moment Rashid found himself wondering just how a youth with such soft flesh could bear the armor of one of the saviors in red. Then, when the youth who was clearly the twin of the one who crouched before him came up to stand by the side of his brother, and the Teknoman Saber himself rose smoothly back to his feet, Rashid realized that his grandfather and Ringo had likely been speaking even while he had been thinking of what he had newly learned of the saviors in red.

 

“So, have you guys finished bonding yet?” Ringo asked, the expression on his face one of gentle amusement.

 

Hearing the soft laughter, just as gentle as the tone of Ringo’s voice, from the Teknoman Saber as he fell into line with his twin and his friend, Rashid looked back up into the sky-hued eyes of the dark-armored savior in red. “What do you think, Rashid?”

 

He was almost surprised to hear his own name spoken by the dark-armored savior in red, but then he realized that Grandfather had likely told one of them. “I think we have,” he said, smiling up at the youth with sky-hued eyes who was the Teknoman Saber. “Thank you again, for helping to save our village, all of you,” he continued, turning his gaze to take in the small group.

 

01001000011

 

After they’d said their goodbyes to that Rashid kid and his grandpa, Ringo couldn’t help but look back at Saber. It was so _weird_ , seeing him without the Space Knight uniform that he’d pretty much come to expect both of their boys to be wearing. Still, it was always a possibility that he’d lost his uniform sometime during his and Slade’s travels. Though that did beg the question of how Slade had managed to hold onto _his_ uniform.

 

Still, they could worry about all that stuff later; right now, he was just happy to see the two of them again.

 

“It’s good to see you boys again,” he said, reaching out to shake first Slade’s hand and then Saber’s.

 

“Yeah, it’s good to be seen,” Slade said, as Saber grinned.

 

“After so many months, none of us were quite sure what to think,” he admitted; since Saber’s whole clothing situation, amusing as it was, wasn’t particularly relevant he wasn’t going to bring it up. “We didn’t know _where_ you boys had ended up. None of our contact-points got any word, or anything, why didn’t either of you leave us any word? Even just _one_ message, to let us know how you were doing?”

 

“We’ve been hunting Axe and Rapier for a long time,” Saber said, the expression on his face becoming serious enough to match the one Slade was wearing. “We haven’t been able to drive them to ground yet, but that’s the idea.”

 

Slade’s eyes narrowed, that determined expression that Ringo had come to know so well from both their boys appearing again. “We’ve got to find a way to get the Radam off this planet; we’re the only ones who can ensure the survival of the human race. Saber and I have to destroy Darkon; we have to get up to the Moon.”

 

Still, there were a fair few issues with what he was saying. “In _what_?”

 

“Don’t you worry about that, Ringo. Saber and I know where the base is, and we know how to get there.”

 

“There are no spaceships; they were all destroyed. So you boys can’t be planning to _fly_ there.”

 

Saber chuckled. “Actually, that’s _exactly_ what we’ve been planning.”

 

“We’re going to redirect the quantum-energy powers of a second teknocrystal; that’s why we’ve been hunting Axe and Rapier: Saber and I need their crystals.”

 

“Listen; you boys are a few tacos short of a combo-platter if that’s what you’re planning,” he said.

 

“No, _you_ listen; the last thing Shara did before she died was give us the location of Darkon’s base!” Slade snapped, and Ringo winced slightly.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, realizing that what he’d said had been insensitive as all hell. “I know how you boys felt about Shara, and I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

 

“l know,” Slade said, as he and Saber both smiled. “I know you didn’t.”

 

Sighing as he turned to look back at the sunset, the clouds beginning to turn from gold to pale pink as the sun continued to sink lower. “What are we going to do now, though? What’s this planet going to be like?”

 

“It’s going to be better,” Slade said, sounding just as sure as he ever had. “After we rebuild, it’s going to be _better._ ”

 

“I guess you have a point, Slade. It’s not like it could get much _worse_.”

 

“Oh no, it could get worse,” Saber said, the light, airy tone of his voice not matching the grim look on his face. “A _lot_ worse,” he continued, his tone finally matching the look on his face, as his blue eyes narrowed.

 

“Yeah; I guess I got to admit you’ve got a point there,” he tried to smile, aiming to ease the tension that had settled over them like an unpleasantly thick blanket. “After all, we’re all still alive, so it’s not like we can’t turn things around. Still,” he turned a sidelong grin on Slade. “I have to admit, I never thought I’d find _you_ being a cockeyed optimist.”

 

Slade’s smile looked more reflective than he’d ever seen the kid wear; before or after those little mind-blowing revelations that Shara had convinced their boys to share. “It’s been an interesting couple of months,” was all Slade seemed willing to say on that particular matter, though, since the expression on his face became one of worry when he turned to look at Ringo again. “Did everyone else make it out all right?”

 

Serious as the question might have been, Ringo found that he couldn’t resist a bit of teasing. “Are you asking about the Space Knights in general, or are you interested in someone in particular?”

 

He got the feeling, after seeing the look on the kid’s face, that the only reason Slade wasn’t blushing was because the kid didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of Saber; Saber, who was already smirking at him in that knowing way that only brothers who were particularly close could pull off. Deciding to show some mercy, before Slade could start his usual flustered quasi-stuttering and Saber could inevitably rib him into submission, Ringo grinned.

 

“Come on, I’ll show you where we’ve gotten set up for the night.”

 

“Thanks,” both twins said, their voices overlapping in that way that people who knew each other well could do when they spoke.

 

1101001001001

 

The approaching night had truly fallen by the time they made it into sight of the tank that Ringo had told them their fellow Space Knights were staying in, but you couldn’t have told it by him. It still looked like dusk as far as he was concerned; still, there were _some_ advantages to what the Radam had done to him. Smirking slightly as he heard Maggie and Tina – talking about fried potatoes, of all things – Saber moved forward.

 

“I don’t know, they might not look the best, but I’m sure they’ll taste good if you prepare them right,” he said, smiling just a bit wider as Maggie turned to look at him. “Evening, Mags.”

 

Finding himself pulled abruptly forward into an almost bruising lip-lock, Saber allowed his jaw to relax as Maggie gently nudged him to open his mouth. As he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, Maggie slipped her own around her shoulders and the two of them held each other closer. He’d been wondering what would happen, what they were all going to do now that the main force behind the Space Knights were all back together, but none of that seemed particularly important right at this moment.

 

He’d had few enough perfect moments in his life, so for right now Saber was determined to savor the one he’d found.

 

Soon enough, though, the lack of oxygen forced the two of them apart, and Saber smiled once more as he and Maggie faced each other. “It’s nice to know you missed me.”

 

“It’s great to have you back,” she said, and he felt her hands running through his hair. “After the last couple months, I didn’t quite know what to think. I mean, we were all hoping to find you boys, but with no word at any of our contact points, I’m not ashamed to say that I’d been starting to fear the worst.”

 

He sighed; there might’ve been reasons why he and Slade had proceeded about things in the way they had, but he didn’t like making people worry about him. “Sorry; I know it might not explain everything, but Slade and I had something we needed to take care of.”

 

“You mind telling me about it?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.

 

He smiled softly. “It’s a long story; you mind if I tell it over dinner?”

 

Maggie laughed, just as softly. “Well, all right. But, just for making me worry for so long, you have to help out with dinner.”

 

“I suppose that’s a fair price,” he said, turning to the table that had had their meal-in-the-making-spread out on top of it.

 

Picking up one of the knives that had been neatly laid on the table, as though waiting for someone to pick it up and use it. For a moment, Saber was reminded of the times when Conrad would set out the food he was preparing, but he quickly put those memories aside. Now wasn’t the time to think of the past; though all of the Space Knights probably knew by now just what he and Slade were having to deal with, Saber knew that dragging up the past like that wasn’t healthy for a lot of reasons. He tried not to, but sometimes Saber would catch his thoughts drifting that way.

 

When Maggie planted a soft, gentle kiss on his lips, Saber closed his eyes and smiled softly; here, now, was all he really needed.

 

1101010010111

 

The three of them had started out walking together, but when Saber had seen Maggie and Tina, he’d broke off just the way Slade had been expecting him to. Breathing deeply once he caught sight of Star, Slade could almost _feel_ Ringo’s knowing smirk behind him. _At least he’s not here to bug me about this,_ Slade mused, smiling slightly in fond amusement as he saw Saber and Maggie meeting up again.

 

“Hey, nice evening, isn’t it?” he called, feeling a bit silly for doing so but not quite sure of how else to open this particular conversation.

 

Star, who’d been washing dishes at a camp sink when he’d first caught sight of her, turned to face him with an expression of such complete, joyful relief on her face that Slade found himself wishing for a few moments that he _had_ found the time to contact her while he and Saber were hunting Rapier and Axe.

 

“Slade. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!” Star exclaimed, coming quickly over to meet with him.

 

“I… I’m sorry for worrying you,” he said, wondering if she’d be willing to listen to his explanation for what he and Saber had been doing, or if they would just sound like excuses to her. “Saber and I, we had a lot of things we needed to do.”

 

“I understand,” Star said, and while he was happy to see her smiling the way she was, he still couldn’t help but wonder if that was how she was really feeling. “After all these months, and everything that happened… well, I really didn’t know _what_ to think.”

 

“Yeah,” he muttered, looking down slightly as he saw Star covering the last few steps that separated the two of them. “I know just _saying_ it doesn’t really mean anything, but I really am sorry for worrying you the way I did.”

 

“That’s all in the past now, Slade,” Star said, and Slade felt her arms wrapping around his waist. “I’m just so glad to have you back now.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, leaning his head against Star’s own as he embraced her in turn. “I’m glad to be back.”

 

Star turned back to him, and Slade wondered for a moment what she wanted. That is, he wondered until she kissed him gently on the lips. It _was_ a gentle kiss, nothing like what he’d briefly glimpsed Saber and Maggie sharing over Star’s left shoulder, but Slade still felt warmed by the thought that she’d even _wanted_ to do that kind of thing with him. Even if he wasn’t the best at talking to people, or even the most sensitive to other people’s moods.

 

Well, not when those people weren’t Saber, anyway.


	28. Running on Empty

Later that night, while they were all having dinner together, Star found herself hearing the story of just what Slade and Saber had been doing while the rest of the Space Knights had been searching for them. As she sat there, listening to the twins speaking about their plans for the future and their need for another pair of teknocrystals, Star found herself thinking of her encounter with Sam in that forest of Radam teknoplants. She’d been fully willing to kill that little boy, and would have done so if it hadn’t been for Axe appearing.

 

She didn’t know how either of the twins would react to finding that out, but she wouldn’t have felt right keeping it to herself now that Slade and Saber were back with them.

 

“So, what happened to your uniform, Saber?” Tina asked, and Star chuckled softly; Tina had always been the one to ask silly questions like that.

 

“I had some… issues with my transformation, you might say,” Saber said, sounding like the whole thing amused him.

 

But then, he usually sounded like that, unless it was something particularly serious or anything to do with the Radam. While the conversation around the fire they were using in lieu of wasting power they couldn’t really spare on a camp stove began to wind down, turning toward the few mundane topics of conversation that could still be found during times like these, Star turned to Slade – she was happy that Slade had chosen to sit down next to her, especially after the conversation they’d had just before dinner – and gathered herself for what she was about to say.

 

“Slade, I don’t know what you’re going to think of me after I tell you this,” she said, gathering her composure as she looked into Slade’s deep green, softly glowing eyes. “So I’ll just tell you now, before things go too far between us: I met your- Sam, just outside a forest of teknoplants. I had a gun, and I would have shot him in the head if Teknoman Axe hadn’t come along.”

 

“Rapier,” Slade said, his tone as gentle as the expression on his face. “The Radam named him Rapier,” Slade clarified, before she could have asked what he was talking about. “And, thanks for telling me about this; I don’t want you to go around picking fights with Radam Teknomen, they’re more dangerous than any of them look, but I think it was very brave of you to try to protect everyone when Saber and I weren’t there to help.”

 

“Thank you, Slade,” she said, smiling in relief even as she felt his right arm wrapping around her shoulders.

 

“I’m glad you came out of that confrontation all right, Star,” Slade said, and she turned slightly as he softly kissed her left cheek. “Just, try to stay safe in the future, all right?”

 

“I’ll do what I can, Slade,” she said, though they all knew that no one could really keep themselves safe under these kinds of circumstances.

 

That was probably why he hadn’t asked her to promise him anything; no one liked promises that couldn’t be kept.

 

When dinner had wound down, and they’d broken up camp for the night, she smiled softly as she saw Saber and Maggie kissing and leaning their heads together as the two of them fell into step with each other. Hearing Slade’s soft chuckling from just a bit to her right, she turned to smile at him.

 

“That’s my brother for you,” Slade said, the edges of his glowing eyes crinkling slightly as he smiled. “There’s not many things that can get _him_ down.”

 

“Yeah,” she said, smiling back. “But don’t sell yourself short, all right?”

 

She couldn’t help but remember Slade as he was during that dark time when the AEM had held both Slade and Saber captive in their old headquarters; he’d had such a hard time back then, and there were times she couldn’t help but think that Slade would have been so much better off if he had more of Saber’s natural irrepressibility. It couldn’t be healthy for him to take so many things so personally the way he seemed to.

 

0010100100101

 

When she and Saber had made their way back into the Green Earth at last, Maggie found herself not wanting to leave Saber’s side even for something as seemingly trivial as sleeping; she knew he’d understand, since the two of them hadn’t seen each other in months.

 

“Hey, you think you’d mind staying with me for tonight?” she asked, smiling as he turned to look at her with those softly-glowing bright blue eyes of his. “You know, since you’ve had a good few months cuddling with Slade for warmth on those cold, lonely nights?”

 

“I’d bet you’d have just _loved_ seeing that,” Saber said, and she grinned at the teasing smirk he was wearing.

 

“Well, yes, but I have it on good authority that you two look adorable when you curl up to sleep together,” she said, grinning a bit wider as Saber chuckled. “So, do you think you wouldn’t mind too much?”

 

“I think I could spare a night,” Saber said, his smirk becoming a gentle, knowing smile as he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders.

 

As the two of them made their way to the Green Earth’s sleeping quarters, at least the berth that Maggie had claimed for herself when they’d all been deciding who got what place during their trip, Maggie looked from the small, pull-out bed to Saber as the Teknoman laughed softly.

 

“Well, looks like we’re going to be getting pretty cozy,” he said, the irrepressible grin that she so loved coming right back to his face like it’d never been gone at all. “I take it _this_ was the basic idea?”

 

“Something like that,” she said, grinning back at Saber as he began to take off his shirt, belt, and shoes – so different from the red Space Knight-issue boots that she’d seen him wear on every other day, or even the slip-ons that she’d seen him in once when Star and Tina had convinced him to go to the mall with them that one time – and folded the shirt neatly before setting it atop the small shelf just over where he’d slipped off his shoes.

 

As she guided Saber to the – admittedly narrow – bed where the two of them were going to be sleeping for tonight, Maggie found out just how true what Star had said was: Teknomen _were_ warmer to the touch than any other person she’d ever touched in her life. Reluctantly pulling away for the minute it probably took her to disrobe for herself, Maggie kissed Saber lightly as he came up to hug her from behind.

 

She could still see his bright blue eyes glowing softly in the darkness, and that combined with the way Saber’s body radiated heat like a soft furnace, let Maggie know that she wasn’t dealing with someone who operated under the same constraints as a human. Still, it wasn’t Saber’s fault that the Radam had turned him into a Teknoman; just bad luck that he, Slade,  and their family had been the ones to encounter that ship.

 

As she helped Saber to get settled in the narrow bed that they were going to be sharing, probably just for the one night since it was bound to be more than a bit awkward to have two people who were both about the same size sharing such a narrow space, Maggie smiled as she felt Saber’s warm, strong arms wrapping around her shoulders. Tucking her head into the crook of Saber’s neck, so that the two of them wouldn’t end up breathing in each other’s faces the whole night, Maggie closed her eyes as she let the soft, steady beating of Saber’s heart lull her to sleep.

 

11101001001

 

As the five of them gathered together in this abandoned house that Axe and Rapier had managed to find for them, Lance found his attention drawn back to the unconscious form of their leader. Spear, for all his power, was helpless now; Lance didn’t know what to make of such a thing. True, they _had_ faced the full fury of a Teknoman’s self-destruction, incomplete as Dagger had been when she’d died, and then Spear _had_ put himself between that fury and the four of them who had managed to retain consciousness in the face of it; he was, in fact, the only reason that the four of them retained such consciousness in the first place.

 

And yet, the sight of their stern, implacable leader lying so still in the bed where Sword had placed him still unnerved Lance on levels he was not particularly eager to think about.

 

The rumbling of his stomach prompted Lance to make his way to the kitchen, and he settled down at the simple, wooden table that had had a simple meal – though still substantial enough for the four of them to satisfy the hunger that they were all prey to – set out on it. Lance had been seated next to Sword, while Rapier and Axe had taken the chairs just opposite them.

 

As he continued eating, Lance found his gaze almost naturally settling on Rapier, directly opposite where he sat; the smallest and weakest of their number, a pale thing of thin limbs and colorless hair.

 

True, Rapier _was_ perfectly capable of killing any number of humans, but humans were of little consequence to any Teknoman. The child’s defeat in his first battle with Saber was proof enough of that, though Axe claimed that such was simply due to the fact that Rapier had had a lesser amount of combat training than Saber himself. And yes, it was a fact that Rapier was four years younger than either of the traitors, but a fully-completed transformation should have still told in the end.

 

It was perfectly plain to Lance that Rapier was a weak, helpless little thing; it was only fitting that Axe had named him rabbit.

 

Finishing his meal, Lance rose from his seat, all the while savoring the feeling of being satiated, brief as he knew it would be. Turning to the room that he had selected for his own use, Lance followed Sword with his eyes as she returned to the room that she had elected to share with Spear. The way she cared for their leader, while an admirable show of dedication to their cause, was nonetheless disconcerting in and of itself: they were Radam, they were not meant to _need_ caring for.

 

And unlike Rapier, Spear had been the greatest of their number: patient and cunning, always taking the lead in combat, and completely willing to bring his full power to bear against any of the insignificant humans who dared to challenge them. Yes, the fact that he still maintained a sentimental attachment to the traitors Saber and Slade was a flaw in his reasoning, and likely why he had ended up in such a sorry state as he now was, but in all other matters Spear was every inch the proud, fearsome lion that Axe often likened him to.

 

Lance considered such matters for a few moments, and then resolved himself to his next course of action: when next the opportunity presented itself, he would kill the traitors himself, and so spare their leader such an onerous task.

 

110100101001

 

When she woke up the morning, with the feel of warm, strong arms wrapped around her and the muffled sound of a powerful heartbeat close by, Maggie looked up at Saber’s face with bleary eyes and smiled.

 

“Morning, Mags.”

 

She smiled, feeling the reverberations from Saber’s voice through his neck and chest, even as she felt his warm breath on her face.

 

“Good morning to you, too,” she said, smiling even as Saber pulled away and stood up. “I guess you’re going to want me to show you the shower unit, not to mention the bathroom, right?”

 

When Saber caught her grin, he grinned back. “I suppose you’ll be wanting to join me?”

 

She laughed; he was such a tease. “I think the shower unit’s a bit small for _that_ kind of thing, otherwise I’d take you right up on that offer.”

 

The two of them shared a laugh, and Maggie led Saber to the Green Earth’s general washroom after a short pause to let him put his clothes from yesterday on.

 

“You know, since we’d all been hoping to find you two, we brought along some of yours and Slade’s spare uniforms from the other supply depots,” she said, looking Saber up and down again. “Not that I object to seeing you in something new for a change, but it’s just kind of strange. You know?”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Saber said, smiling. “It was kind of fun, though; wearing the same old thing day in and day out _does_ get kind of boring.”

 

The two of them shared a chuckle, before they made it to the shower unit and she showed Saber how to work the thing. Leaving Saber to his shower, Maggie continued on her way to the launch bay where Pegas had been stored. Meeting up with the others had been great and all, but there were still things that needed to be taken care of before they could honestly say they were all in fighting form. Even though Mac _had_ said he’d been teaching Slade and Saber to run some basic repairs and maintenance on Pegas, that kind of thing still didn’t compare to having full access to a repair bay and its attendant technicians.

 

Finally making it to the main launch bay of the Green Earth, Maggie took a good, long look at Pegas for the first time in a long while; it was like greeting an old friend.

 

000101001001

 

As Star made her way down to the loading bay of the Green Earth, which was probably going to end up becoming not only Pegas’ storage and maintenance room but also the launch bay for the twins when they were inevitably forced back into combat against the Radam and their uncountable armies of Spider-crabs, she smiled briefly. Slade had given her a brief, soft kiss on her right cheek, after she’d shown him to an unoccupied sleeping berth, and the memory of that kiss still made her feel warm inside.

 

She knew that it was probably nothing like what Saber and Maggie had shared before the two of _them_ had gone to bed, but for all that Saber and Slade were twins they truly were different people in the end.

 

When she finally made it to the loading bay, Star wasn’t surprised in the least to find Maggie there, already starting to check Pegas over for damages – or even just normal wear-and-tear – the way she and Mac had done so many times at the Arizona Command Center. Calling out to the other woman with an inquiry as to whether or not she could be of any help, Star found herself directed to one of the stationary computers in the back of the loading bay.

 

“How are things looking?” she asked, glancing from Maggie to the towering form of Pegas at the back of the loading bay.

 

“So far, everything looks in order, but I’d like you to help me run a few, last tests on the internal systems.”

 

“You mean, you’ve already made sure there are no structural damages?” she asked.

 

“Yeah; everything was as well-maintained as I could have asked for, considering the constraints that Slade and Saber were operating under while they were separated from the rest of us.”

 

“That’s good,” she said, relieved to know that, even in spite of everything that had happened, Pegas had at least made it through all right; at the very least, Slade would be happy to hear that.

 

Turning her attention back to the computer in front of her, Star tried not to wonder about just what they were going to be able to do next. She’d heard Ringo grousing about the state of the Green Earth’s energy cells – more specifically the amount of charge they contained – and the fact that they hadn’t been able to find any signs of a city, or even an outpost, lately was starting to honestly worry her.

 

00100100101

 

Turning away from the unchanging landscape outside the Green Earth’s windows, Slade narrowed his eyes slightly; the constant, low-level sound of Ringo’s grousing, combined with the thick forest of teknoplants they were passing through, wasn’t really putting him in the best of moods at the moment.

 

_(So, you want me to go over there and kick Ringo, or would you like to?)_

 

Chuckling deep in his throat at Saber’s efforts to cheer him up, Slade allowed himself to relax a bit. _(No; we’ll leave him until he stops somewhere, and then we_ both _kick him.)_

He and Saber both laughed, Saber’s amusement projected clearly over the link that they shared; he’d been making a point to keep his mental barriers at least semi-lowered, so that he’d be able to better track Axe and Rapier when they inevitably showed up again. It was kind of interesting, feeling echoes of Saber’s emotions when the two of them spoke even _without_ using their telepathy. Kind of like the days before the two of them had managed to develop their respective shields.

 

When Maggie and Star came into the Green Earth’s driver’s compartment, Maggie was the first one to speak: “Good news; we’ve finished scanning the Teknobot and Tekno-suit.”

 

“And we’re selling them for scrap, right?” Ringo snarked; he and Saber both gave him an unamused look.

 

“Quite the contrary, Ringo,” Maggie said, clearly ignoring the feeble joke that Ringo was trying to make. “They’re both functioning remarkably well, considering what they’ve been through.”

 

“That’s nice to hear, right Slade?” Tina asked. “A little _good_ news, for a change.”

 

“They’re not in perfect shape by _any_ means,” Maggie said hurriedly. “They’ve both sustained considerable damage, both structurally and systemically. The most serious damage being to the Emerald Crystal in Pegas; it’s going to have to be replaced. Either with the crystal you take from Rapier, or the one from Axe.”

 

“Try to see if you can get Rapier’s, eh Slade?” Ringo asked, and Slade turned to see his fellow Space Knight’s sidelong smirk. “You know, for old time’s sake?”

 

He chuckled darkly. “I guess I could try that.” He sobered. “Still, your grudge-match with Rapier aside, Saber and I are still going to need those crystals if we’re going to have any chance of getting to Darkon’s base on the far side of the moon.”

 

“Hold on,” Maggie said. “First things first, Slade; if we _did_ install a new crystal, I’d want to run some tests on it first. Back in my lab at the Arizona Command Center.”

 

“What?” he asked; that was news to him, and he could sense that Saber was just as curious. “I thought the Command Center had been completely destroyed.”

 

“It _was_ ,” Tina said.

 

“The effort to rebuild it is being overseen by Mac and Commander Jamison,” Star said. “Back in Arizona. The damage is so extensive, there’s no saying when – or even _if_ – it’ll ever be fully operational.”

 

“Have they at least given you guys _some_ sort of progress updates?” Saber asked, speaking out loud for the first time since all of them had gathered together here.

 

“I’m afraid not, Saber,” Ringo said, actually sounding apologetic about it. “We haven’t been able to make radio contact with them for the entire time we’ve been out here. The only thing _we’ve_ had a chance to do for the last two and a half months is running around like a bunch of blind mice, trying to find a shuttle, a ship – hell, a _blimp_ – anything to replace the Blue Earth. And meanwhile, our friend Darkon has been one busy little bee, turning our planet into one giant hothouse for these spore-plants of theirs.”

 

“The spores are _everywhere_ , and they’re getting ready to bloom all over the planet; that’s what your sister Shara was warning us about,” Star said.

 

Slade narrowed his eyes, considering just what had been happening lately. “I know; still, it feels like there should be more to it than that.”

 

“Well, if anything comes to you, you kids make sure to let us know, all right?” Ringo asked.

 

“I’m sure we’ll keep that in mind,” Saber said, his tone one of gentle teasing.

 

“Still, the one thing we _can_ be sure of, is that the only way Saber and I are going to be able to get to the Moon is with one of those crystals.”

 

Settling back into his seat, Slade sighed softly; there were times when this fight of theirs could start to seem hopeless, like nothing they did made any real difference, but it always helped to have a goal in mind. He’d learned that even before all of this began.

 

Tina was the first one to spot the town in the distance, but Star seemed fairly enthusiastic about it, too. Both of them for different reasons, but those reasons really boiled down to having the amenities of civilization again. Slade supposed that he’d have been more excited for that kind of thing, himself, if he’d been stuck in this rolling fortress for over two months rather than moving from pillar to post with Saber while the two of them were hunting Axe and Rapier.

 

Ringo piped up with what was probably one of his usual sarcastic comments, given the sense of amusement he got from Saber and the conversation he was just barely paying attention to. Continuing to stare out the wide windshield of the Green Earth as it trundled slowly forward across the uneven, teknoplant-forested terrain, Slade could begin to see glimpses of the town Tina and Star had seen.

 

The surrounding landscape was almost entirely free of teknoplants, so Slade allowed himself to relax. Just slightly, of course, since there was always the chance that they were going to end up confronting Sword, Axe, Lance, or Rapier sometime in the near future. Though Rapier and Axe _did_ seem to have been assigned together, or else it was just that they worked together better than any of the other four who were actually conscious _to_ work.

 

Sam _had_ been one of Mr. Goddard’s students along with the rest of them, unlike Shinji or Katherine; so that fit with the relationships that had been there in the past.

 

When the Green Earth began to close in on the town, their discussion quickly turning to just who was going to go into town and who would end up staying behind, Slade allowed himself to relax a bit.

 

“Saber, why don’t you stay here,” he suggested. “We’re probably going to end up negotiating with the people there, and I know that kind of thing bores you out of your skull.”

 

“Well, thanks for thinking of me, big brother,” Saber said, grinning at him with the amusement that always seemed to be lingering around him except under the worst of circumstances.

 

“No problem,” he said, smiling back at Saber. “You guys just try not to have _too_ much fun without us, all right?”

 

They all had a pretty good laugh when he’d said that, and Slade was glad to know that he’d managed to defuse the tension lingering in the air before it could really start to build up. Turning to leave for the town with Ringo, Slade found himself wondering just what Saber, Tina, Maggie and Star actually _would_ end up doing to pass the time. It wasn’t really anything more than an idle musing, however, so Slade allowed himself to forget he’d even thought of it.

 

1000100100101

 

When Slade had passed out of the range of vision of anyone who wasn’t actually a Teknoman, Saber turned his attention back to the people who’d also elected to stay behind alongside him. He was just about to ask what the rest of them had in mind – since the Green Earth hadn’t exactly been provisioned for a pleasure cruise when it’d been stocked – when Maggie came up and gently touched his left shoulder.

 

“Why don’t we go get dinner started?” she smiled. “After all, we’re all going to be getting hungry soon.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” he said, smiling back as he turned to follow Maggie back into the Green Earth.

 

They all made their way through the cruiser, and soon Saber found himself standing before the shelves of provisions that the Green Earth had been stocked with. There seemed to be a particular abundance of potatoes, and for a few moments he wondered if that had been by design or if nearly all of the other types of food – aside from the bread that he could also see – had already been eaten. He supposed it didn’t really matter, so when he, Star, Tina, and Maggie all picked up sacks of potatoes, and Maggie even took a small bag of rolls, Saber smiled slightly as he followed them back out. Slinging his bag over his back, Saber tagged along behind Maggie as she made her way to what turned out to be another storage area inside the cruiser.

 

Those of them that had hands free, a number that of course included him, carried out the supplies they would need to start making dinner. He was the one that ended up carrying out the folding table that they would all most likely be using to prepare their food before they set it out, so he let Maggie and the others go out ahead of him, since carrying the table even in its folded state was still a bit awkward.

 

When the four of them had made it outside of the Green Earth, Saber took a few moments to set up the table he’d been carrying, and then emptied out the bag of potatoes he’d been carrying alongside Star, Tina and Maggie.

 

“Well, let’s all get started peeling,” Maggie said, smirking slightly at all of them while they were still gathered around the table. “The sooner we get this scutwork done, the sooner we can eat.”

 

“Sounds perfectly logical,” he said, smirking right back at her.

 

“Let’s get started, then,” Star said, picking up one of the potatoes and a nearby knife with a bit more eagerness than Saber would have honestly expected from someone looking at a pile of unpeeled potatoes.

 

However, when he saw how Star was holding the knife – where it was going to be aimed when she made her first slice into the peel – Saber turned to her and gently grabbed her hands before she could start peeling.

 

“If you do it that way, you’re going to end up slicing your own fingers off before you manage to peel even _one_ of these,” he said, smiling gently to put her a bit more at ease. “You want to cut _away_ from your hands, not towards.” He demonstrated for her, and then handed the knife back to her while he picked up a potato and a knife of his own. “See?”

 

“I see now,” Star said, smiling at him. “Thank you, Saber.”

 

“Where did you learn to peel potatoes so well, Saber?” Tina asked.

 

He smiled slightly, even though this particular memory wasn’t quite the happy one it’d been in the past, considering everything that had happened between then and now. “It was something Conrad taught me.”

 

He could still remember his and Slade’s eldest brother’s large – they had seemed so huge back then – hands cupped around his own as Conrad had showed him how to peel a potato without cutting his own hands in the process. No one really had anything to say after that, but when he subtly looked around, all of them seemed to be focusing on their own work, so it didn’t seem to be anything he’d said that’d prompted the silence. Saber could at least be glad for small mercies.

 

0100100100101

 

As he and Ringo made their way down into the town, Slade wondered briefly what Saber was getting himself up to back with the Green Earth. Then, as he and Ringo continued on their way through the sparse crowds in the town whose name he hadn’t bothered to learn – since it wasn’t likely they’d be staying around long enough for it to matter – Slade decided that Saber could take care of himself. He’d find something to do; Saber was good at making his own entertainment.

 

For now, he and Ringo had things to take care of; those batteries on the Green Earth weren’t going to be able to recharge themselves.

 

When he and Ringo managed to find their way into the office of the mayor – well, that’s what the people in the town called him, anyway – Slade found himself facing a large-framed man in a white jacket and a dull, grayish turtleneck. He wasn’t exactly helpful.

 

“For the last time, the answer is no,” the man snapped; he had the deep rasp of a lifetime smoker, and Slade finally realized what that scent was that’d been bothering him since he and Ringo had come into the man’s office. “We have barely enough power-reserves for ourselves, without doling it out to every stranger who wanders into town.”

 

“Yes, but we only need a little,” Ringo said; Slade narrowed his eyes slightly, he wasn’t having many good feelings about this guy. “Just enough to-”

 

“Well, a _little’s_ more than we can give you,” the man snapped, cutting Ringo off before he could even finish his intended sentence. “We’re not a welfare station for wandering beggars. As it is, we can only power up our generator for once a month. _Once_ , that’s it. And even then, for no more than five hours. That’s so the Spider-crabs won’t have time to find us. So you see stranger, even if we _wanted_ to help you – which we don’t – we can’t, so we won’t. Now get out of here, before I get angry.”

 

“Mister, you don’t know who you’re talking to,” Ringo snapped back, starting to sound as annoyed as Slade had been feeling for some time. “We’re Space Knights!”

 

“Yeah, I thought as much,” the portly man scoffed, not sounding impressed in the slightest. “I got news for you: Space Knights aren’t too popular around here. It’s thanks to you guys that we’re in the fix we’re in. If you’d have done the job you were paid for, there wouldn’t _be_ any Spider-crabs, would there? Now leave me alone, you’re giving me a headache!”

 

“Hang on!”

 

“No,” he snapped, wishing for a few moments that he _had_ tried to convince Saber to come with them; if nothing else, watching the ensuing verbal evisceration would have been more than worth the price of admission. “Save your breath, Ringo.”

 

The bastard in charge of the town seemed to take that as a sign of submission, and for a few moments Slade was sorely tempted to flip him the bird or tell him to go fuck himself. Still, cathartic as doing that kind of thing was, it would probably be more trouble than it was worth. Ringo wasn’t shy about grumbling under his breath as they left, of course, and Slade smirked slightly as he heard some of the _very_ uncomplimentary terms Ringo was using for the man they’d just gotten out of a – he hesitated to call what had gone on back there a meeting, in any but the loosest sense – discussion with, fruitless as it had turned out to be in the end.

 

He stopped when the two of them came out of the building, but not for very long.

 

“Friendly little burg, isn’t it?” Ringo asked, though they both knew the question was a rhetorical one. The two of them continued on through the crowds, and Slade could almost _feel_ the waves of hostility and mistrust being directed at the two of them. It wasn’t like the sense he had of Saber or any of the others; not something he could block out with just a mental barrier. “Look at these guys: I’d feel more welcome walking in on a Spider-crab slumber party.”

 

He could understand the sentiment, but: “Can you really blame them? Their energy’s the most precious thing they’ve got.”

 

“Yeah,” Ringo conceded, though he didn’t sound particularly happy about it. “Well, maybe we’ll have a bit better luck in the morning.”

 

Slade considered that; sure, there _were_ some people who would reconsider their positions if and when they were given extra time to think about just what it was that they’d said to another person and how it might have been taken, but Slade honestly doubted that would be true in this case. The man who oversaw this town seemed entirely too full of himself to take any kind of criticism to heart. To say nothing of the continuing, low-level hostility that Slade couldn’t help but take note of; it pervaded the town, but Slade wasn’t quite sure if it was directed at newcomers in general, or if these people did indeed recognize him and Ringo as Space Knights and hated them for that.

 

Before he could start telling Ringo not to get his hopes up – since it was unlikely that this particular asshole would ever reconsider his position, particularly after the kind of reception he’d given the two of them – Slade found himself facing a small girl.

 

“Mister, would you like to buy some flowers?” the little girl looking hopefully up at him asked.

 

Ringo’s sidelong grin, coming just after the girl had finished speaking, nearly prompted Slade to roll his eyes. Really, he could fully understand why Saber and Ringo got along so well; and he could only continue to be grateful that his younger twin hadn’t decided to come along on this trip.

 

“You know, Star _loves_ flowers. Why don’t you buy her some?”

 

He sighed softly, then chuckled just as softly. “Between you and my brother, I’m _never_ going to get any peace, am I?”

 

“’Fraid not,” Ringo said, a wide and unrepentant grin on his face. “After all, it’s our sworn and solemn duty as your friend and brother – respectively – to do everything in our power to bug you about your romantic prospects. And in our case, to make sure that you – dolt that you are – don’t go messing things up with Star.”

 

“I don’t think there’s much chance of that anymore,” he said, feeling the smile on his face shrinking slightly; he and Star were getting as close as any two people could really risk during these uncertain times. “Still, you really think she’d like these?”

 

“I think she would,” Ringo said, after a few, long moments spent staring at Slade’s face.

 

He didn’t quite know what his fellow Space Knight was searching for, but after a little while he nodded. Deciding to forgo any further discussion until the two of them had made it back to the Green Earth, Slade paid for the flowers and received a bright smile from the little girl in return. Giving her one of his own, though he didn’t know if it quite matched the intensity of hers – funny how some people could still manage to find things to smile about during times like this; it reminded him of Saber, really – but she smiled widely all the same. As he and Ringo left, Slade couldn’t help taking a last look over his right shoulder.

 

The little girl grinned widely, waving at him even as he tried again to smile for her; he didn’t know if it came off any better than the one he’d given her the last time, but since she didn’t seem to mind, Slade wasn’t going to drive himself crazy thinking about it.

 

000101001001

 

 _(So, how did things go?)_ he asked when he began to sense Slade, presumably with Ringo still in tow, coming slowly closer to where the four of them who’d elected to stay behind with the Green Earth had set up their camp.

 

_(You’ll get the full story when Ringo and I get back, but the bottom line is pretty much that we’re not going to be getting any extra energy here; not unless something drastic happens.)_

He chuckled deep in his throat. _(I guess you’re glad I_ wasn’t _there, then.)_

The sense of Slade’s amusement carried clearly over their link. _(Well, I admit that it_ would _have been kind of fun to have you there, but yeah; I don’t think it would have been very productive.)_

Grinning into his bowl of potato soup – it was kind of like eating watery mashed potatoes; which had good and bad connotations, since it reminded him a lot of all those old Thanksgivings that the Carter family had spent together – Saber settled back into his spot at the fire and waited for Slade and Ringo to arrive.

 

Dinner was a fairly subdued affair, though there _was_ a bit of excitement when Maggie, who hadn’t been particularly happy with Ringo after the way he’d handled the whole debacle with the village headman – Saber was fairly amused to learn that the man considered himself their mayor – splashed some of the still-hot potato soup on Ringo’s left hand when he’d finished telling her what had gone on during the two of them. The act itself wasn’t funny in the slightest, since he knew as well as anyone would want to just how much being splashed with burning liquids _hurt_ , but the face that Ringo made – as well as the joke – was funny enough that Saber allowed himself an audible chuckle. Still, nothing they were doing right now would solve their current problem.

 

That was something each and every one of them agreed on: they would either need to find a way to get the headman of that nameless little town to give them what they needed, or else they would need to find an alternate source of power, and either way they would need to do things quickly. They wouldn’t be able to last much longer with the meager dregs they had right now, and they wouldn’t be able to travel anywhere unless they were able to get at least a half-decent charge.

 

They all went to their separate bunks with this knowledge firmly in mind, and Saber made a personal vow to skip his morning shower when he woke up next; no telling how long the remaining power they had was going to hold out, and he wasn’t going to be the one to overtax them. He’d done without his creature comforts in the past, after all.

 

000100100101

 

Just before she began to settle herself down for the night, the first thing Sword did was hurry into Conrad’s room to check on her love. He was still unconscious, yes; she’d not sensed the return of her beloved’s agile mind and reason, and she knew also that the first thing he would have done – aside from making contact with Lord Darkon as any of them would have done – was to tell her that he had returned to her side. So, Sword was not surprised to find her dear beloved slumbering in the bed where she had lain him, but she was not particularly pleased, either.

 

When she made her round of the room where Conrad slept, Sword found the carafe of freshly-prepared broth that Axe had always set out for her to give to Conrad while he continued to slumber. Settling herself down next to the head of his bed, looking down into the slumbering form of the gentle, forgiving man that she planned to marry as soon as the two of them could manage to find some time to themselves, Sword began to gently arrange Conrad’s slumbering form so that she would be able to feed him all the more simply.

 

With her beloved’s head resting lightly in her lap, and her own back pressed against the far wall to support her weight as she would need to concentrate on what she was going to be doing rather than merely how she was sitting, Sword opened the carafe and began slowly, carefully spooning it into her beloved’s mouth.

 

Watching as he swallowed slowly, gently nudging his jaw open a bit wider, Sword breathed more deeply to try and calm herself. No matter how many times she’d done such things in the past – three times per day – Sword always found herself uneasy while she fed Conrad his meals in this fashion.

 

She would always find herself hoping that he would awaken sooner than later, during these times in particular.

 

1101010010011

 

Finding that he couldn’t get to sleep nearly as easily as he’d been hoping to, Slade briefly considered just letting Saber sleep while he went outside to get some air, but he knew that his younger twin would give him _that_ look if he tried it.

 

_(Saber?)_

_(Couldn’t sleep either?)_

_(No,)_ he didn’t chuckle, but Slade was fairly sure that the amusement he felt at their respective situations came through loud and clear.

 

When Saber came into the main area of the Green Earth, a wry smile clearly visible on his younger twin’s face, Slade tilted his head and offered the same in return as the two of them made their way out of the tank; that was what the other Space Knights had called it, anyway, though it didn’t seem all that tanklike to him. The two of them continued on their way after that short, non-verbal exchange, Slade took the lead as the two of them made their way outside.

 

There was a full moon up tonight, and even though he knew full well now just what that kind of thing meant, Slade still found himself wanting to spend time under its light; he didn’t _think_ it had anything to do with Darkon’s mental call, at least he hoped not, but since he’d deliberately been weakening his mental barriers he had no real way to know that kind of thing. Still, as he and Saber climbed up to sit on top of the rock that he’d spotted while he and the other Space Knights had been eating dinner, Slade found himself wondering whether or not that was true.

 

Leaning into his younger twin’s left side, feeling the heat of Saber’s body as it radiated through both of their clothes, Slade’s eyes flicked downward as he spotted motion around the Green Earth. It wasn’t something that he liked discussing with Saber, to say nothing of the other Space Knights, but something else that Slade had been noticing about what the Radam had done to his senses was that he was _much_ quicker to pick up on movement than he’d ever been.

 

It turned out that Star was the one moving around outside the tank, and Slade waved down to her as he saw her looking up toward the rocky spire that he and Saber were sitting on either side of.

 

She came over quickly after seeing that, smiling all the while as she did. Slade still didn’t know just how he’d managed to earn the love of someone like her, and even after everything they’d both been through he still found himself worrying that he might do something stupid to drive her away, but for now Slade put those thoughts out of his mind. Saber would tell him he was worrying too much, the way he always did, and come to think of it Star probably would too.

 

She seemed to agree with Saber perfectly concerning things like that.

 

“I’ve been working to compile the profiles of the survivors of the Argos’ mission, just so none of us are surprised by what they look like outside of their armor anymore,” Star said, seeming hesitant for a few moments, but slowly gaining confidence as she spoke.

 

“That’s a good idea, thanks,” he said; he’d been worried about that, a bit, since while he and Saber could sense the others when they were close, anyone else would have to look them in the eyes to know just how dangerous they were. And _that_ had its own set of dangers.  
  
Anyone who’d seen them in battle knew how little regard any Radam Teknoman had for the lives of not just the people who opposed them – which in its own way was bad enough – but humanity in general. It would be good to know that no one else would be fooled by any of the others if they attempted to sneak into any of the Earth’s remaining bastions of defense. Not even Spear, whenever he woke up. It was good to know that, but even as he had that thought, Slade found his gaze settling on the small tablet that Star had brought out with her.

 

He could see the profiles she’d been talking about – those that detailed the appearance of Mr. Goddard, Sam, Conrad, Katherine, and Shinji; the ones that his and Cain’s father had helped to compile and then submit to the OSDA before they’d even set foot on the Argos – on the tablet’s screen. He knew that reading them wouldn’t do him much good, knew that nearly everything listed in those profiles had been twisted by the Radam’s brainwashing, but Slade found that he couldn’t make himself look away…

 

“Star, do you think I could have a look at those?”

 

00100101001000

 

The next morning, just after sunrise, Ringo had opted to use the last dregs of their energy to park the Green Earth just outside of the town whose generator they were going to need to use before they could make it anywhere else. Saber wasn’t sure that that’d been the best idea, but he’d tried to talk to Ringo about it and his fellow Space Knight had _insisted_ on doing things this way. He’d relented then, since that kind of thing wasn’t something they could afford to waste time on right at the moment.

 

Still, giving the people in this middle-of-nowhere town even _more_ reasons to dislike them didn’t really strike Saber as being particularly intelligent.

 

As he and Maggie, one arm wrapped around the other’s shoulders, made their way closer to the crowd of particularly unfriendly people, Saber couldn’t help the thought that getting the power they would need to move on was going to be a uniquely annoying experience this time. _Just our luck that we ran into_ these _assholes when we’re all back together._

 

He could at least _hope_ that the other people his and Slade’s fellow Space Knights had had to deal with to obtain the power that the Green Earth needed weren’t the bunch of complete assholes they were being forced to confront now. At the moment, seeing all of his and Slade’s fellow Space Knights surrounded by a pack of jumped-up, rifle-wielding idiots, it was all Saber could do to keep himself from punching the nearest of them in the face.

 

He knew that it wouldn’t have solved any of their current problems, and more than likely it would have invited all new ones, but it was times like this when he could at least _begin_ to understand Shinji’s oft-stated desire to have all of the stupid people on Earth shipped to some other planet.

 

“Come on, we only want enough power to make it to the next outpost,” Ringo said. “You wouldn’t even miss it.”

 

Sighing as the idiots tending to the generator continued holding them at gunpoint in spite of the fact that – if they were the type to do things like that – he and Slade could have just _taken_ the power they needed to sustain the Green Earth and moved onto the next outpost like they were already planning to. Still, happily for this pack of idiots, none of them were about to start using the Radam’s methods to get what they needed.

 

“Hey, lovebirds!” Saber found his attention abruptly drawn back to the overweight form at the front of the group attempting to threaten them. “Aren’t you going to try telling us what to do with _our_ generator?”

 

He grinned blandly at the man. “Up yours, fatass,” he muttered, carefully keeping his jaw as still as he could while he spoke.

 

No sense in buying trouble they didn’t need.

 

“Come on, let’s just go,” Ringo sighed disgustedly, turning away from the gun-toting “soldiers” still gathered around them in what was probably some pathetic attempt at intimidation that was doomed to fall flat in the face of everything they’d seen and done during the course of the invasion. “We’re getting nowhere fast.” When Ringo brushed past him, however, there was a small grin on the pilot’s face. “Wiseguy.”

 

Saber grinned more widely.

 

There was a general sort of agreement, both for the sentiment and Ringo’s clear desire to leave these idiots behind. Before any of them were tempted to do something drastic to get what they would need to sustain themselves and keep moving the way they needed to if they were going to get where they needed to be. Him and Slade just as much as any of them.

 

When they had all settled themselves into their respective seats aboard the Green Earth, Maggie blew out a long, hissing breath between her teeth as she leaned heavily – almost wearily – against his right shoulder.

 

“I can’t believe the _nerve_ of those greedy bastards,” Maggie groused, lacing the fingers of her left hand together with his own. “It’s not like we would have taken _all_ of their stupid power, or anything.” Maggie heaved a deep, gusty sigh. “I’m starting to wish you’d transformed back there.”

 

He pretty much _had_ to laugh at that. “Yeah, I can just see _that_ working out.”

 

“Idle revenge fantasies aside, at half-power we should be able to make it to the next outpost before we need to refuel,” Star said, sounding like she would have honestly disapproved of his and Maggie’s topic of conversation if either of them had been making actual _plans_.

 

_(Saber, are you getting the same bad feeing from that town we just got out of as I am?)_

He chewed the inside of his left cheek, turning Slade’s words over in his mind for a long moment. _(Yeah; I guess you’re right. It’s like they didn’t know Spider-crabs can burrow, or something.)_

There was a modicum of bitter amusement in his older twin’s mental tone when he answered. _(Maybe they don’t.)_

 

Before he could make any kind of response to that, since it was a distinct possibility that not everyone was aware of everything that the Radam’s near-mindless cannon fodder were capable of. They’d perhaps been a bit spoiled by the Space Knights’ research staff, and Commander Jamison’s willingness to pursue whatever knowledge of the Radam that he could reasonably obtain. It was funny, Saber reflected, the things you didn’t think you’d miss until you found yourself without them.

 

Maggie’s shouting about an attacking Spider-crab didn’t come as much of a surprise under the circumstances, but Saber still found himself sighing in annoyance. Sure, it would be something to hold over the head of that asshole running the town, but on the other hand it meant they were going to have to go _back_ to that town and all of the assholes therein.

 

So, there were clear good and bad points to what they were going to be doing.

 

“Yeah; looks like they started up that generator too soon,” Ringo groused. “That thing’s gonna suck up every _drop_ of power they’re pumping out down there.”

 

“I’m taking us back.”

 

“C’mon, Star, why should _we_ go helping those deadbeats after the way they treated us?”

 

“It’s our job,” Star countered firmly. “We can’t just go turning our backs on people who need us, no matter _how_ unfriendly they’ve been.”

 

“We’d better get moving,” Slade said, though there was a definite undercurrent of amusement to his older twin’s tone. “Still, you’re welcome to stay behind if you want to, Ringo.”

 

“Nah,” the Blue Earth’s pilot – though they didn’t currently have the Blue Earth for him to fly – said, rolling his eyes in that long-suffering way that had never failed to amuse Saber every time he’d seen it. “I’m not letting you two kids have _all_ the fun.”

 

Things moved quickly after that, of course; with him and Slade jogging back to where Pegas had been stored in what had unofficially become the Green Earth’s launch bay, and Ringo along for the ride since he was going out too. He and Slade transformed just a second apart from each other, leaving Ringo to catch up when he could, and Saber landed on Pegas’ back just as the big mech had started leaving the shelter of the launchbay.

 

He sensed the rush of energy when his older twin had finished transforming, and so Saber stepped back just enough so that Slade could land in front of him.

 

_(Another day, another Spider-crab, eh brother?)_

He sensed more than heard Slade’s amused chuckle. _(Yeah, pretty much.)_

 

“Star’s on her way to help with the evacuation now,” Maggie said over the radio, and Saber smiled slightly under his helmet. “Tina and I will coordinate the attack from here.”

 

“Good to know you have our back, Mags.”

 

Lashing the Spider-crab in front of them with the energy-ribbon of his teknolance, Saber caught sight of Ringo landing on the ground in front of the fat man in the white suit. There was a momentary look of stark terror on his face, since all of his men had run off when the huge Spider-crab had roared at them, but then that same pissy look he’d had on when they’d all been confronting him outside of the Green Earth came right back.

 

Some people just had no sense of self-preservation.

 

Hacking at the Spider-crab in front of him, in concert with his older twin as the two of them had done so many times in so many battles before this, Saber saw to his annoyance that their respective lances didn’t penetrate _nearly_ as deeply as they had on any of the others that he and Slade had faced.

 

 _(Looks like this one’s a bit tougher than the others,)_ he mused, and would have rolled his eyes if he hadn’t been wearing his armor and hence having his face rearranged by such.

 

 _(Yeah; that’s kind of what I was afraid of, with this one being so much bigger. Seemed only natural that it’d be tougher, but I_ was _at least hoping to be wrong this once.)_

_(The unappreciated burden of being a genius,)_ he snarked, smirking under his helmet even as he took another swipe at the Spider-crab they were dealing with.

 

_(Wiseass.)_

 

They pushed the Spider-crab steadily back, causing it to topple backward into the hollow mountain that was clearly hiding the generator that these people had been using. The one that had ultimately drawn the attention of this Spider-crab in the first place. These people were just lucky it hadn’t drawn the attention of any Teknomen; well, at least not yet.

 

_(Saber!)_

 

Before he could even begin to wonder what Slade was so panicked about, the mental image of a little girl, crouching in the remains of a ruined building, appeared in his mind. It was times like this when Saber found himself appreciating his and Slade’s telepathic link all the more.

 

_(Don’t worry; I’ve got this.)_

 

Tossing Slade his teknolance, Saber stooped on the little girl like a falcon; he could see her surprise as he dove down to meet her, but then she smiled as he scooped her up in his arms and got her settled as best as he could manage in his armor.

 

“Wait, mister,” she said, pointing to something on the ground to his left. “I lost my flowers. Could you get them for me?”

 

Turning slightly, Saber found that there _was_ actually a bouquet of flowers that had fallen onto the dirt road, and so with a mental shrug he knelt down and scooped them up; even though they looked pretty sad and trampled. The little girl was happy, at least, and as Saber dropped her off with Star and the group of evacuees that were making their way out of the town in the wake of the attack, he waved to them as he turned back to check on his older twin.

 

However, with no one in the line of fire, Slade had managed to line up and fry the thing with a Tekno-bolt, so that only left Saber with the less arduous task of supporting his older twin as the two of them made their way off of the spent battlefield. He could only hope that those stupid ingrates would be _less_ stupidly ungrateful now, or he really _would_ start punching people this time.

 

“All right you two, you’ve done enough here,” Star said kindly, smiling at the two of them as he and Slade made their way over to the Jeep she was standing next to with the girl that Slade had pointed out to him. “Go get some rest.”

 

“No objections here,” he said with an unseen, weary smile.

 

Letting his transformation fade as he climbed into the Jeep himself, Saber yawned deeply once he was out of his armor and could actually move his jaw in the required fashion. Climbing the rest of the way into the jeep, Saber slumped into the back seat and half-closed his eyes. He was peripherally aware of the little girl climbing into his lap, and he thought he smiled for her, but by that time he was already beginning to fall asleep.

 

0001010010010

 

When she looked back to Saber, after seeing Slade on his way back to the Green Earth, Star found him resting in the backseat of the Jeep with the little girl curled up in his lap. Smiling, and swallowing her amused laughter at the adorable image the two of them presented together, Star pulled out a small camera that she had taken to carrying with her so that she could preserve moments like this and quickly took a picture of the pair of them.

 

Tucking the camera back into an interior pocket of her vest, Star smiled as she climbed back into the Jeep herself and started it up. She knew well by now just how deeply either one of the twins would sleep after they had just participated in a battle and been forced to transform. So she wasn’t worried about waking Saber while she pulled the Jeep around and drove back to the waiting Green Earth, but she still made sure to be careful as she drove back to the tank to park the jeep inside the cruiser again. Even though both of the twins were such deep sleepers that she didn’t _have_ to worry about being careful during times like this, Star knew she always would be.

 

It was just common courtesy, really.

 

When she arrived back at the Green Earth, Maggie was the first to come out to meet them just like Star had been expecting her to. With only a wink over her shoulder, Maggie gathered Saber up in her arms as the little girl climbed out of his lap. Star found herself chuckling softly at the antics of her fellow Space Knight.

 

“Miss, where are they going?”

 

“They’re going back into the Green Earth so that Saber, that’s the man who rescued you, can get some sleep now.”

 

“Oh,” the adorable little girl said, turning to look the way that Maggie had gone. “He’s going to be okay, then?”

 

“Yes,” she said, smiling at the little girl’s concern. It was nice to know that he’d won over another person with the kindness that she had watched him reveal over the time that he and Slade had worked with the Space Knights. “After he gets some rest.”

 

“I’m glad,” the little girl said, smiling widely. “He was really nice.”

 

“Yes,” she said, smiling back. “He really is.”

 

11101001001011

 

Ringo was more than a little smug when some of the techies started hooking up the energy-siphons that the Green Earth used to the generator; after all jerks in this city had pretty much lined up to shoot at them when they’d first come in here needing what power they could find. Not that he was going to actually _act_ like it, both since it would be incredibly petty of him, and it would end up being entirely counterproductive. Still, it wasn’t like he could help the way he felt after everything that’d gone down in the past couple of days.

 

The updates he was getting from Star, from her place monitoring the energy-levels in the tanks as they slowly rose to the point where the Green Earth would actually be able to _move_ again, Ringo smiled. It looked like things were starting to look up for them again. Even if it _would_ take the Space Knights who knew how much longer to complete their real mission, having the power they needed was an important first step.

 

One more step on their thousand-mile journey.

 


	29. Tekno Trap

_It’s great to be back on the road again,_ Tina reflected, then smiled as she turned to look back at where Slade and Saber were sitting. _Especially since_ all _of us are back together now._ Sure, the Space Knights weren’t _quite_ all back together, since the Commander and Mac and all of the others were trying to repair the Arizona Command Center, but it was nice to at least have most of the main team back together after everything that had happened. Maggie and Star looked especially happy, Tina couldn’t help but notice.

 

Maggie and Saber were pretty much attached at the hip nowadays, and even Star and _Slade_ seemed to be getting closer; Ringo and Saber never missed an opportunity to tease them about that, of course.

 

All in all, without any of those evil Teknomen chasing them around, things seemed to be going a lot better. Of course, the fact that _they_ were chasing a pair of evil Teknomen – one of them actually the same age as she was, which was really weird to think about – it made her almost feel like things had flipped on their head, just a bit. Before, it’d always been the evil Teknomen who’d come to _them_ , and the Space Knights had been the ones holding them off from the Command Center. Now, Axe and Rapier were moving around the countryside, while she and the rest of the Space Knights who’d been assigned to patrol in the Green Earth tried to track them down.

 

It was just so bizarre when she stopped to think about it.

 

“We must be getting warmer,” Star said. “It looks like this place has been attacked recently.”

 

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I can still see it smoking. Maybe the rumors were true, and Teknoman Axe and Teknoman Rapier have been through here.”

 

“It’s possible Axe attacked someplace else, but this seems more like Rapier’s work,” Slade said, his narrowed eyes scanning all around them.

 

“Yeah, he was always a fan of the subtle approach,” Saber added, and Tina smiled slightly as she saw Maggie curling up next to him and leaning in for a kiss.

 

No doubt about it; those two were _made_ for each other.

 

“Great, as if it wasn’t enough dealing with a pair of Radam Teknomen, we have to deal with one who likes to be _subtle_ ,” Ringo groused, with none of his usual heat.

 

He’d been more than a bit subdued ever since they’d come into this part of the city. Ever since they’d come onto the outskirts, really; Tina was getting worried for him. But, Ringo would probably talk to Saber before he talked to her, since the two of them were such good friends.

 

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder just what was getting to him in this of all places; it wasn’t like they hadn’t all seen the destruction that the Radam had left behind them wherever they traveled.

 

The Green Earth’s bulk rumbled on, and Tina braced herself as they rode over what felt like a pretty large piece of debris. It wasn’t something she was going to waste breath complaining about, since there really wasn’t much anyone could do about the debris in the road, but it was something she couldn’t help but notice all the same.

 

“The roads are getting a bit too cluttered for the Green Earth to make it through,” Ringo said, his tone taking on a bit more of its old liveliness, but probably only because he was getting annoyed. “Looks like we’re going to have to break out the Jeep again.”

 

There was a general, resigned sort of agreement on that point, and Tina stepped out of the way as the older Space Knights headed down to where the Jeep was parked so that they could get it ready to travel again.

 

10010010010010

 

Once he, Star, and Saber – because there was no way in hell he was going to risk heading out into even this place if there was still the smallest chance of that pint-sized thug of a Radam Teknoman being _anywhere_ in the area – had piled into the Jeep and set off on their trip, Ringo found himself thinking about how much he’d have really, honestly preferred not to come back to this place under these kinds of circumstances. Still, after he’d been pretty much disowned by his father after choosing to join the Space Knights rather than staying in the AEM like his father had continually demanded – politely, yes, but no less insistently for his diplomatic phrasing – he couldn’t honestly say that he’d been looking forward to coming back here, of all places.

 

He wondered for a moment just how Saber would have been doing, if it’d been _his_ hometown they were all paying a visit to; not that he was insensitive enough to actually _ask_ , not since he knew just what it was those kids of theirs were facing every time they went out into the field.

 

“Watch out for speedbumps,” Saber scoffed, as the Jeep he was driving rolled over a broken piece of debris lying in the street.

 

He chuckled a little, though even _he_ couldn’t help but notice how subdued he was; no chance that any of the others had missed it. “Sorry. Road isn’t what it used to be. You sensing anything, Saber?”

 

“No,” the kid said, then sighed softly. “If Rapier _is_ here, he’s shielding as strongly as I’ve ever sensed.”

 

“Well, let’s hope he’s not, then,” he muttered; the last thing anyone sane wanted to face was a Radam Teknoman, even that pint-sized thug. Of course, he had particular reasons for wanting to avoid _that_ Teknoman in particular, but no one could’ve said they weren’t valid.

 

“Yeah,” Saber muttered, but the kid seemed to be distracted by something. “That’s a pretty strange name for a street.”

 

“What?” he asked, side-eyeing his fellow Space Knight since it wasn’t like he could actually take his eyes off the street.

 

“Vereuse Avenue,” the kid muttered, even as he was forced to pull to a sudden stop for a crashed bus in the road. “I wonder what Vereuse means.”

 

Turning to look over at the fallen sign that had once marked the street where his family lived, Ringo’s gaze locked on it for a long moment. It was that, more than anything else, that let Ringo know that – whatever he saw when he reached his home – he wasn’t going to like it. Backing up the Jeep, noting and then ignoring Star’s exclamation of surprise, Ringo ramped the bus and landed on the other side. He got the distinct feeling that Star wasn’t too happy with him, but the sound of Saber’s amused laughter coming loud and clear from behind him brought a subdued sort of grin to his face.

 

“Well, now that we’re done with the stunt-driving portion of this trip, do you think we could actually start looking for that energy-dump you were talking about?”

 

“I think I could manage that,” he said, smirking a bit for Saber’s sake; he was honestly starting to wonder if this was what it’d been like for Saber himself, every time he’d had to put on a brave face so that Slade and the rest of the Space Knights wouldn’t worry about _him_.

 

Any way you sliced it, he had to respect Saber for his efforts.

 

They continued up the road in silence, following the leisurely bends that took them slowly to the top of the hill where his old house stood. Sighing as the building itself came into view, and briefly wondering just how much sooner Saber had been able to spot it, Ringo stopped the Jeep just outside the gates of his former home. Just before they would have passed under the stone shield that held his family’s crest.

 

“Saber, you think you’d be interested in a little trip?” he asked, aiming a look over his shoulder at the kid where he sat in the right-side passenger seat.

 

“I think I could manage,” he kid said, and Ringo saw him smirk. “Do I even have to ask where we’re going?”

 

“No, I think it’s pretty obvious,” he said, leaving the Jeep behind and opening the door for Saber just as his fellow Space Knight would have opened it for himself. “Come on, I’ll give you the five dollar tour. And no, I won’t _charge_ you for it,” he said, catching the just-beginning-to-be-amused look on Saber’s face.

 

“Sure, I believe you,” Saber said, tilting his head in that way he did when he was amused and wanted everyone else to know it, too.

 

The two of them made their way up the path toward his old house, and Ringo idly wondered just when Saber was going to ask the question that had to be on his mind. He knew that the kid had to be thinking about it, since anyone would have been wondering under the circumstances. And while no one could say that Saber wasn’t polite to the people who’d earned it in his eyes, but even a polite person would have to be wondering just what in the hell was so important about this particular building.

 

Out of any place they could have gone into in the remains of this once-peaceful neighborhood.

 

“So, this is your old home, huh?” Saber asked, turning slightly towards him with a gentle, knowing sort of smile.

 

“I guess I don’t have to ask how you know that,” he said, smirking slightly, but feeling more reflective than anything.

 

He could guess why Saber, of all people, had picked out this place as being his home; Slade would’ve probably been able to spot that kind of thing just as quickly as his brother, but it was a toss-up if he’d say anything or not.

 

As the two of them made their way into the empty, crumbling building, Ringo took a moment to ask Saber if he could sense any other Teknomen in the area before he started calling for anyone else who might be taking shelter in there. Because, there was no way in hell that he was going to risk the lives of anyone who might be staying here, just because he wanted to know what might have happened to the remaining people that he cared about. Once Saber reported that, as far as he could tell, they weren’t about to be jumped by that pint-sized thug and his somehow even more thuggish teacher, Ringo began to call for anyone who might have still been hiding inside the building.

 

His father in particular, since he didn’t know if anyone else would have had the sheer, mule-headed stubbornness to stay in this place even in the face of the Radam’s all-out invasion; that was just the kind of thing his father would have done, though.

 

Finding his way into the living room, with Saber’s light, almost catlike footsteps trailing just behind him, Ringo bit the inside of his lower-lip as the wind blew up a pair of sheer, lilac curtains. Following the curtains’ path lead his gaze to the marble fireplace on the other side of the room, and from there to the mantelpiece. There was a collection of photographs up there, all of them neatly set atop the mantel, but Ringo’s gaze was drawn to the one that had been placed face-down.

 

Out of all of them, that one held the most sentimental value to him at this moment.

 

The feel of Saber’s hand on his right shoulder brought him back to the present, and Ringo smiled softly for the reminder.

 

“It’s my mom,” he said, answering the unspoken question that hung between the two of them. “I didn’t know her very long; she died when I was just a kid.”

 

Saber’s sudden, bittersweet chuckle cut off anything else that Ringo could have thought up to say. “Something else we have in common, I guess.”

 

“Yeah?” he prompted; this was something he hadn’t been prepared to expect when he’d started this conversation, but if Saber felt comfortable enough around him to reveal something so personal, then he wasn’t going to interrupt.

 

“Yeah,” Saber muttered, his bright blue eyes locked on the framed picture that Ringo still held in his hands. “She died in a house fire, back when Slade and I were just five.”

 

 _And before anyone would have ever thought to call you kids Saber and Slade in the first place,_ he wasn’t going to say. It wouldn’t help anyone if he tried to bring up just who those kids had been, back when they’d actually had family to call their own; both since that kind of thing would have been incredibly rude, and because it didn’t matter much in this particular case. Saber and Slade were what those kids wanted to be called now, so he’d honor that.

 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Saber,” he said, watching as Saber’s bittersweet smirk slowly melted into a gentle, subdued sort of smile.

 

“Thanks. I’m sorry about your mother, too, Ringo.”

 

“Thanks.” He wrapped his left arm around Saber’s shoulders before the kid could think to step away from him, and smiled at his fellow Space Knight when Saber raised an eyebrow at him. “Come on, I’ll show you my old room.”

 

“All right.”

 

So the two of them made their way down the empty, debris-strewn halls of his old house, sometimes ending up having to walk over large sections of the ceiling that had collapsed into the house itself. He didn’t like looking at them, or passing under the resulting holes that poured sunlight down into the interior, but he was at least glad that it wasn’t raining. Pushing open a pair of double-doors in front of him, he led Saber into his old room.

 

The spread of photos on the wall, just above the shelf filled with trophies that he’d won, greeted them first, and Ringo smiled slightly.

 

“So, I guess I don’t need to waste time asking what your favorite pastime was,” Saber said, and he turned an amused smile on the kid, who was watching him with one of his own.

 

“Yeah,” he smiled in bittersweet nostalgia, picking up one of his old trophies. “I was MVP back in the day, you know?”

 

Saber grinned at him in that way he had, and Ringo pretty much had to laugh at himself: because _of course_ the kid wouldn’t know. He’d never talked to Saber about his old life; even when they’d had a quiet moment, _some_ kind of crisis seemed to be hanging over their heads. That was life in the midst of an alien invasion, Ringo mused.

 

“Those were my old teammates,” he said, indicating the largest photo on the wall in front of them with the point of his chin. He was just about to say more when Saber, who’d stepped a bit closer to the trophy shelf than Ringo himself was currently standing, suddenly snapped his head around, eyes locking on the doors that they had just come in through.

 

The kid’s bright blue eyes, no longer eerily glowing the way they had been when he and Ringo had passed into the darker sections of his old house but bright enough all the same, were narrowed at whatever it was that he was looking at. It didn’t seem like Saber was worried about anything, though, so that put paid to the thought that it might’ve been Rapier or Axe. He could be relieved about that, at least, if not entirely happy.

 

Subtly signaling for his fellow Space Knight to follow his lead, Ringo turned and nonchalantly headed back toward the door. Making like he just wanted to go back through it, Ringo instead yanked the thing open and grabbed the guy on the other side.

 

“All right, you! You’ve got some nerve, traipsing around like-! Barnaby?” he cut himself off, having recognized his family’s old butler just as he’d _really_ started building up a full head of steam.

 

There were tears in the old man’s eyes, just starting to fall as Ringo released the grip he’d had on Barnaby’s suit-jacket and let him stand back up to his full height. It wasn’t that impressive, since Barnaby had never really been a tall man and had only gotten frailer during the intervening years, but Ringo figured that he at least owed it to the old man after the way he’d probably scared him when he’d first shown up.

 

“Master Richard, I had honestly begun to believe that I would never see you again,” the old man said, and Ringo couldn’t quite hold back a wince at the sheer, sincere _longing_ in his voice.

 

Sure, he hadn’t been too keen on coming back once his dad had decided that being in the Space Knights wasn’t remotely good enough for any son of _his_ , but he couldn’t help admitting that he hadn’t been thinking about just how that kind of thing would have affected the other people back at home who’d cared about him. People like the old man who was even now looking up at him with such hopeful, welcoming eyes. He almost hated to disappoint Barnaby, but he and the others were going to have to be moving on soon.

 

As much as he’d missed the old man – facing him here and now, Ringo couldn’t avoid admitting that, if only to himself – there was no avoiding the fact that, more than ever, the Space Knights were needed.

 

“Come, Master Richard,” Barnaby said, bowing slightly to the pair of them. “I am certain that the others will be wanting to meet with you, and your young friend, as well.” Barnaby’s attention turned to Saber, then; the kid having been as patient as anyone could have expected of him under the circumstances. “Master Saber, was it?”

 

“Yeah, that’s me,” his fellow Space Knight said; only Ringo or one of the others who’d been close to him during the course of his and Slade’s long war against the Radam would have been equipped to understand the few seconds of hesitation between Barnaby’s question and the kid’s answer.

 

He wondered, briefly, if the old man had even _noticed_ the slight pause.

 

There was an expression of subdued curiosity on the old man’s face, but Ringo didn’t honestly know if it was because of Saber’s admittedly weird name – weird for a human, anyway – or because he _had_ noticed the pause and was wondering about the cause of it. In either case, though, Ringo knew he wouldn’t ask. Barnaby was too polite for that kind of thing.

 

“So, how has everyone else been doing?” he asked, knowing it was probably a stupid question but needing to ask all the same.

 

“As well as can be expected under the circumstances, Master Richard,” Barnaby said.

 

Ringo sighed inwardly; he _had_ asked. “Yeah. I guess none of us are doing quite as well as we’d like.”

 

“Indeed not, Master Richard,” Barnaby said, as he continued to lead the three of them into the back section of the house and from there out into the spacious back yard. “I do apologize for not having anyone out here to greet you and your friend, Master Richard, but as I did not recognize you at first, I was forced to act in what I saw as the best interests of those still living here.”

 

“I’m just glad that the people here are still all right,” he said, as Barnaby began to make his way to the pool for a purpose that Ringo was starting to suspect that he knew. “Speaking of which, is Father in there?” he asked, being a bit more formal than he otherwise would have been; Barnaby _was_ kind of a stickler for decorum.

 

Probably came with being a butler for as long as he had.

 

“I am sorry to be the bearer of such news, Master Richard, but your father – the General – has not been here in some time. He ordered the servants into the shelter, while he himself stayed above to deal with the invaders.”

 

Sighing, knowing that pretty much anyone who tried to stand up to the Radam without having access to the kind of power that the Wonder Twins had provided for the Space Knights was basically doomed, Ringo decided to forgo asking any more questions. Turning slightly as he noticed Saber trying to catch his eye, he saw that the kid was smiling softly at him.

 

He smiled back; after all, this was just one more thing that the two of them had in common.

 

Looking up as he began to hear the sounds of whirring motors and grinding gears, Ringo found himself watching the specially-built shelter as it rose from the depths of the long-since emptied pool. Once the shelter had fully risen from the depths, and the people standing inside it had begun to cheerfully file out, Ringo found himself feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of it. And, even though he knew it was kind of stupid for him to feel anything like that, Ringo found that he still felt a bit ashamed of feeling so good.

 

There was Saber right beside him, one of the kids who’d lost pretty much everything he’d had to the Radam, and he had to stand and watch as these people – who’d been almost as close as family to Ringo – gathered around him in profound relief. No matter how many times Ringo tried to remind himself that Saber wouldn’t blame him for embracing this moment now that it’d come, Ringo couldn’t stop feeling like a bit of a jerk.

 

He knew damn well that neither Saber nor Slade would have ever _said_ anything about it, but Ringo couldn’t quite help feeling the way he did, what with everything that was going on.

 

101001001001

 

“Pegas, you hearing what I’m hearing?” he asked, eyes narrowing slightly; there was someone following them, but he wasn’t getting the sense – either active or passive – that it was either Axe or Rapier.

 

“Affirmative; I have been tracking the unknown presence for several minutes. Identity unconfirmed, but suspicious.”

 

“Sounds about right,” he muttered; Maggie was clearly confused about what the two of them were talking about, but she’d find out when he did. “Let’s get a look at them, Pegas.”

 

“Affirmative,” the mech said, letting loose with a carefully-controlled burst of firepower, calculated to drive their mystery stalker out of hiding while at the same time having very little danger of injuring whoever it happened to be.

 

Crouching, Slade leaped easily into the air, landing just behind their not-quite-so-mysterious stalker – he was getting the impression that this was a man, from what he could see of the figure’s build through the cloud of debris that had been thrown up by the miniature explosions – Slade grabbed whoever it was in a quick half-nelson. He didn’t know if they, whoever _they_ turned out to be, would have been able to fight off Ness Carter. But then, he wasn’t really Ness Carter anymore.

 

“All right, out with it: why have you been following us?” he pressed, controlling the man’s movements the way he’d been taught to do when he restrained someone.

 

“I’m sorry!” the man said; his voice higher-pitched than Slade had yet heard from a man; maybe it was just because he was frightened. “A case of mistaken identity! I thought you were someone else!”

 

Slade let the man fall to the ground, standing over the man as he rubbed his neck. “Who, exactly?”

 

“I thought you might be one of that bunch that tore up this town!”

 

“Were there two of them?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “A short, stocky man with close-cropped brown hair, and a young albino kid?”

 

“No,” the man said, looking confused by the descriptions. “It was that motorcycle gang, the Hyenas! They’re the ones who did all this. They’re the real monsters!”

 

“You mean to tell me that all of this damage was done by _humans_?” he demanded, not knowing what to think.

 

Yeah, Saber would probably remind him that some people could be complete and utter assholes, but Slade would have at least thought that the threat of complete annihilation – or subjugation, which would really amount to the same thing in the end – by the Radam would have at least curtailed the worst excesses of those kinds of people. Apparently, he would have thought wrong.

 

“Yeah, as human as you or me,” the man said; Slade swallowed a chuckle of bittersweet amusement. “They’re the worst kind of people! They just attack whatever happens to be standing in front of them, and none of them even think of all the harm they’re doing!”

 

There wasn’t really anything he could say in response to that, but there _was_ at least something he could do…

 

010010010110

 

When the four of them, plus Sophia of course, came to the old church that she used to teach the kids who’d lived in the town – both those who’d been born to the people who worked around here, and those who’d come in with various groups of refugees – Ringo had to smile. It was just like her; she’d always said that she wanted to be a teacher.

 

“You always _did_ want to be a teacher, didn’t you,” he said, smiling at the woman who had been so friendly to him when the two of them had been younger.

 

“Yes, but our school is in shambles,” Sophia said sadly. “We have no computers; we don’t even have _books_.”

 

“These are hard times for everybody,” he conceded, as a lumpy, lop-sided bag that the kids were playing with in lieu of using the ball they clearly didn’t have, rolled to a stop at his feet. Kicking it up, he dribbled it while he spoke; he was showing off a bit, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. “But they’re toughest on the kids, I guess. Here ya go, little guys,” he said, bouncing it back into the hands of the kid who’d lost it in the first place.

 

“The main problem is boredom: there’s so little for them to do,” Sophia said reflectively. “Richard, I wonder?”

 

“Huh?” he prompted, turning to look back at her.

 

“You used to play soccer, do you think you could teach them how to play?”

 

“Come on, this is no time for fun and games,” he demurred. “We happen to be in the middle of a war, here.”

 

“How can I forget,” she muttered sadly. “And that’s precisely why I think it’s so important: I think there should be more to life than mere _survival_. Now, more than ever, they need to have _fun_. They need to have something to fill their days with besides chaos, burnt-out homes, and brutality.”

 

“But, where would your playing field be?” Star asked; he would’ve asked the same if she hadn’t. “There isn’t a patch of ground anywhere in town not covered with debris.”

 

“Yes, I’m afraid that’s true,” Sophia said sadly.

 

“It’s not exactly safe out there, either,” he said, turning slightly to see if Saber would be interested in contributing to this little discussion of theirs.

 

Their kid looked a bit more interested in watching what all of the other kids were doing, though; Ringo smiled slightly. Really, Saber was one of the oldest kids Ringo’d ever had the pleasure of meeting.

 

“Especially with the Hyenas still around,” Sophia said, the expression on her face becoming both sad and afraid. “That crazy bunch of animals might return any minute to finish the job they started.”

 

“So Slade wasn’t kidding when he reported that all of the damage here had been done by humans and not Teknomen,” Tina said, still sounding a bit surprised.

 

Hell, it was fairly surprising to _him_ , and he was really no stranger to how horrible people in general could be.

 

“I guess you never really _can_ get away from those types of idiots,” Saber muttered, showing that he’d been paying just as much attention to the conversation as any of them.

 

It was nice to know, and it wasn’t like he disagreed with the sentiment. “You’ve got a point there, Saber.”

 

“Yes, and that’s the point: I don’t want these children to become like _them_. I want to give them something besides violence to hang onto. Something good and healthy, and _pure_. And civilized.”

 

He almost _had_ to smile at her passionate declaration, even as he caught the makeshift ball, and tossed it into the air so he could balance it on his head as he spoke. “Okay, Sophia; you’ve convinced me. We’ll set up a playing field on my father’s estate. But I’ll only do it on one condition.”

 

“Anything, Richard; just name it.”

 

“Stop calling me Richard,” he said, smiling. “Nowadays it’s Ringo, to my friends.”

 

10100101001110

 

When they had all moved out to the grassy field just inside the boundaries of Richard’s father’s estate – it was hard to think of him as Ringo, after all the time that she had known him as Richard – and Richard had lashed a rope around the remains of an old shed and used it to pull the building down, Sophia smiled as the old building collapsed on itself.

 

“We have a soccer field!” Richard called happily, as the children around him cheered.

 

Smiling as she turned to the group of Richard’s friends, in particular the strangely-named young man that had stood beside him on the opposite side of his female friends Star and Tina, she wondered for a moment why he had been so silent throughout the day. He _had_ seemed happy, though, so she didn’t worry so much that he was troubled by something, but there _was_ something that she wanted to speak with him about.

 

Finding him wasn’t so difficult, since he was off by himself and merely observing the activity occurring around him. There was a wistful expression on his face as he continued to watch, and for the few moments that it took her to make her way over to him, Sophia wondered just what he could have been thinking about. Making up her mind to ask him about that after she had satisfied her curiosity about the life that Richard had lead since he had chosen to leave them, Sophia found herself standing next to the near-silent young man who had watched them all with such sad blue eyes.

 

“Saber? Would you mind walking with me?” she asked, knowing that anyone who had gotten so close to Richard as this young man had would have known the value of discretion.

 

And yes, it was also likely that the two of them had bonded over shared pain, if they were as close as they had seemed to be.

 

“Sure,” Saber said easily, turning to follow her as she made her way back to the church; there was something special that she had kept there, for a long time.

 

“Saber, would you mind telling me something? About yourself, I mean,” she clarified, as the young man turned to look at her as the two of them continued on their way.

 

“What would you like to know?”

 

Saber had a wary sort of expression on his face when he asked that question, and that fact more than anything let Sophia know that he and Richard had indeed bonded over a pain that the two of them shared. “If it wouldn’t mind too much, could you tell me your name? I mean, I don’t think your parents would have actually named you Saber,” she continued, seeing the considering expression that the oddly-named young man turned on her after she said that.

 

“Ringo really trusts you that much, does he?”

 

It seemed like a rather odd question to ask, and for someone who hadn’t clearly been such close friends with Richard it would have seemed rather defensive on his part, but any friend of Richard’s would clearly have something more in common with him than outward appearances would suggest.

 

“Richard and I were friends when we were children,” she said, observing the way Saber’s expression became less wary and more curious as she spoke to him. “Though, the two of us did slip out of contact after he left.”

 

“That makes sense, considering how you reacted to him,” Saber said, his tone and the expression on his face making it clear that he wasn’t thinking of anything happening at the present moment.

 

Sophia wondered what he could have been thinking, but the two of them reached the church before she could think of a diplomatic way to broach such a likely-delicate subject, and Sophia proceeded Saber back into the building as he opened the door for her. Thanking the oddly-named young man for the favor, she lead him over to the desk where she had kept the ball that Richard had used to win the last soccer championship that he had been able to play.

 

“Did you have that ball all this time?” Saber asked, a curious expression on his face as he watched her take the ball from her desk.

 

“This is the ball that Richard won his last soccer championship with,” she said, not even trying to hold back the wistful smile that emerged on her face as she spoke.

 

For a moment, as the two of them left her office and made for the main room of the church once again, Sophia was almost certain that Saber would question her further along that line, but the young man’s attention turned rather abruptly to the windows in front of them. His left hand was a blur, as he caught the throwing knife that would have otherwise imbedded itself into the pew on that same side.

 

Shocked, by the action almost as much as the fact that a small group of Hyenas were standing right in front of her, Sophia forced herself to keep her attention on them. Yes, what Saber had done was rather odd in and of itself, but the threat posed by the Hyenas wasn’t something that anyone could safely ignore.

 

“You know the way you meet some people, and then you instantly realize that you’re not going to like them?”

 

It wasn’t a question that called for an answer, and when Sophia looked his way she saw that he had merely said that to provoke the Hyenas and draw their attention to him; another thing that Richard would have done in this same situation.

 

The Hyenas closed in around them, and when Saber stepped in front of her, Sophia couldn’t help but be reminded of Richard; it was just what he would have done in this situation, too.

 

0001010010011

 

As he, Star, and Tina made their way back to the church where Sophia and Saber had gone to get the ball that Tina had told him Sophia had said she would take care of, Ringo wondered why the two of them hadn’t made it back yet. When he saw the broken window, with the edges of the glass shards stained with blood, Ringo knew just what had happened. He didn’t know where either of the two of them had gotten off to, but he wasn’t going to stop searching until he found the both of them.

 

However, before he could make good on his intention to find both one of his oldest and one of his newest friends from whoever it was that had been stupid enough to threaten them, Ringo abruptly found himself facing a large group of idiots on various vehicles – some of them even looking like salvaged hardware from the AEM – wielding weapons that would have been a hell of a lot better suited to fighting off Spider-crab incursions than whatever this bunch of yahoos happened to be using them for. Sure, Ringo liked to think that he wasn’t the kind of person who judged other people based on their appearances, but there were ways to make a good first impression and this was most _certainly_ not one of them.

 

Star and Tina were right beside him as he faced down the idiots who’d just decided to make themselves a nuisance when he wasn’t in the best of moods already.

 

“All right, so who are _these_ buzzards?” he asked no one in particular; he knew that neither of his fellow Space Knights would know, so there really wasn’t any point in asking loud enough for them to have heard.

 

The only thing he could tell right off the bat about the motley crew of assholes was that they seemed to be armed like some crazy militia, and they could have easily been argued to be worse than the Radam. After all, the Radam brainwashed their Teknomen to be loyal to them; Slade and Saber were good examples of that: the kind of people who only fought when they were called on to do so, rather than fighting because it was all that they were good for. He didn’t know just what these bastards were planning, but hell if _he_ was just going to let them run roughshod over his old hometown the way they seemed to have been doing for who knew how long before he came back.

 

1110010010111

 

Ducking another knife as it was thrown at his head, Saber resisted the urge to transform and _deal_ with these idiots. It would be a waste of the energy that he was probably going to need later, when the Radam inevitably showed up in response to what these morons were doing, and he wasn’t going to start using the Radam’s methods of dealing with humans they ended up in conflict with. He wasn’t a monster.

 

A trio of broken knives, their hilts and blades cleanly snapped apart, lay at his feet, and as Saber glared out at the idiots surrounding him, he couldn’t help but notice the way they were staring at him. Not a one of them seemed to properly understand just how much he outclassed them, and since he wasn’t going to waste any of his time explaining things to them, Saber knew that he was just going to have to _demonstrate_.

 

Leaping onto the hood of the truck – or Humvee, at this point he could’ve cared less about the distinction – Saber kicked the driver under the chin hard enough to drive his head backwards into the headrest of his seat. While he was stunned, Saber pulled the passenger – who seemed utterly stunned by his previous action, so that was pleasant – out of _his_ seat and threw him headfirst to the ground.

 

Hopping lightly back to the ground, Saber caught sight of two more of those idiots attempting to harass Sophia. Running over there at nearly his top speed, since it was long past the point where he cared about keeping his secrets, Saber knocked the closest one to the ground with a palm-heel strike to the face, and then round-house kicked the other one hard enough to send _him_ skidding back several feet from where his fellow idiot had landed.

 

“Somehow, I don’t quite think we’re welcome here anymore,” he said lightly, smiling to put Sophia at ease; there wasn’t much to smile about otherwise.

 

“Yes,” she said, giving him a look of recognition that Saber almost wished he had more time to stop and interpret; there’d probably be time for that later, though. “We should leave as fast as we can.”

 

“Well, if you don’t mind a few bumps, you might be surprised how fast that can be.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Will you trust me?” he asked, already hearing the sounds of the gang members gathering themselves for another attack.

 

She looked back only once, seeing just the same thing as he’d seen if the expression on her face was anything to go by, then sighed and closed her eyes.

 

“I trust you.”

 

“Thanks,” he muttered, closing his eyes briefly, before snatching her up by the waist and laying her on his back.

 

Sophia grabbed on as quickly as anyone could have asked of her, and Saber ran off as quickly as he could manage with her still back there. Eyes narrowed against the wind from his speed, Saber continued along the path he’d been taking. Sooner or later, though Saber would have honestly preferred sooner, he and Sophia would be able to meet up with Slade and their fellow Space Knights.

 

What would happen after that, Saber really couldn’t have said.

 

100101001110101

 

 _Of all the times for there to be a Spider-crab attack._ Star didn’t know just who she was honestly angrier at; yes, the Radam were horrible for continuing to attack them the way they always did, but the Radam were aliens – they brainwashed all of the people forced into serving them – and these people, just as human as her or Ringo, or Tina for that matter, had _chosen_ to make themselves into the terrors that what few parents there were in a place like this probably told their children about to get them to stay home at night. The Radam might have been the monsters in the darkness – and in the daylight – that came without warning, but these people were worse than even that. The Radam _forced_ the people serving them to become monsters; these people here had a choice.

 

And, anyone who would willingly choose to become a monster was beyond _any_ reasonable forgiveness.

 

“Have you heard from Saber?” she called, turning to look up at Slade as he swooped down to impale one of the descending Spider-crabs with his lance.

 

“He says he’s coming,” Slade reported, not glancing away from the swarm of Spider-crabs falling all around them now.

 

It was just as well he didn’t, Star knew. Before she could start to wonder too much about where Saber had gotten himself off to, she saw the burst of turquoise light that heralded Saber’s transformation into his own armored form. Star was glad to see him, but she couldn’t help wondering just where he’d been while he was gone.

 

“So, this is what you and Richard have all been doing while he was gone.”

 

Star turned to look over at Sophia, as the other woman came up to stand beside her and the two of them continued to watch the Spider-crabs attempting to descend to the ground all around them.

 

“Pretty much,” she said, feeling a bit sad for the devastation that was being wrought on Ringo’s old neighborhood, but not at all sure just how any of them were supposed to go about stopping it.

 

Every one of their battlegrounds – those places where the twins would make a stand against the Radam’s Spider-crabs – had been left in ruins by the time the battle was over; to say nothing of what happened to those mercifully few places where one of Darkon’s Teknomen would attack them, forcing both twins to defend themselves with everything they had. It was a sad thing, to see that kind of devastation visited on a place that had managed for the most part to remain free from the destruction that the Radam had inflicted on the rest of the planet at large. Still, what was happening here _was_ a stark reminder that not everything about humanity was so far removed from the Radam.

 

As much as she didn’t like the thought, that didn’t make it any less true.

 

When the last of the Spider-crabs had been brought down, by the combined Tekno-bolts from both twins, Star turned to see the devastated landscape that had been left behind. She… well, she didn’t particularly _want_ to see this, but it felt like this was what she needed: to be reminded of what they were all fighting for; what their long struggle against the Radam was ultimately about, in the end. It wasn’t about glory, or fame, or anything so fleeting as that; it was about serving the cause of humanity.

 

It was about protecting the people who couldn’t protect themselves, whether from the Radam, or from scavengers like that gang who had unfortunately become more and more prevalent as the war seemed to grind on without much hope of ending. Or at least not ending happily for anyone who’d been born a human and was still fighting for their chance to live free.

 

“I’m sorry about what happened to your home, Ringo,” she said, as the two of them met up with each other and the rest of their comrades, sans Maggie who was back at the Green Earth prepping it to move out again. “It was a beautiful old building. It was nice of you to donate the land to the school; it’s nice that the kids finally have a place to play.”

 

“I’m sure your father would’ve been proud, seeing what you did today,” Saber said, and Star smiled as she saw him and Ringo standing so close together, an arm over the other’s shoulders; both lending support in his own way.

 

“You sure you’re not going to miss it?” Tina asked.

 

“Nah,” Ringo said as he and Saber continued to lean on one another for what was clearly mutual assurance. Considering how similar the two of them had turned out to be, Star wasn’t at all surprised that the first person that Ringo had looked to under these trying circumstances was Saber. “It’s just a place. Home… it’s not really a _place_ , you know? Come on.”

 

“What?” Tina asked. “Why?”

 

“I hate long goodbyes,” was all Ringo said, as he turned away from Sophia and all of the children who had been taken into the care of that kind, gentle woman.

 

“That’s good to hear,” Maggie said, before any of them could say anything else in response. “Because there’s no time to waste:  I picked up a distress call from sector Blue-Tango 12; they described an infiltrator who had been prowling around the city, getting into every place he could manage. The intruder fits the physical description we sent out of the Teknoman Rapier.”

 

She couldn’t help tensing at that; she’d long since come to understand the fact, much as she didn’t like it, that where the Teknoman Rapier went, Teknoman Axe was never far behind. It couldn’t have been because the Radam were worried that such a young boy wouldn’t be able to fight on his own, both since those horrible aliens didn’t seem the type to worry about even one of their own, and because she’d seen for herself the kind of damage that the Teknoman Rapier could do when he set his mind to it.

 

“Well, looks like we don’t have _time_ for long goodbyes, in any case,” Saber said, his smile fading away to the kind of grim smirk that he wore far too often for Star’s comfort.

 

And probably his own, much as he didn’t seem to like worrying people with what he clearly considered his own problems.

 

There wasn’t a lot of talking, as the six of them moved to get settled inside the Green Earth once again, but Star couldn’t rightfully begrudge anyone their silence, least of all Slade and Saber. She already knew how difficult they found it, going on day after day when they both knew that they would always end up having to fight against the remnants of the Argos’ crew that had been unfortunate enough to survive the rigors of the Radam’s transformation process. Each of them coming out of it a monster.

  
101001001001

 

Once they were all moving again, Slade found Star settling in next to him. “What is it?”

 

“I don’t want to cause you any pain with this question, so- you can feel free to ignore it if it hurts too much to think about, but do you know why the Teknoman Axe and Teknoman Rapier are working so closely together?”

 

He sighed, not particularly wanting to think about how things had been in the past – since the past was dead, and all he and Saber really had anymore was the future – but knowing that Star was the kind whose curiosity would eat her up if she didn’t get _some_ satisfaction for it. Still, maybe opening up this particular old wound would actually help him start to get over it.

 

“He was Goddard-sensei’s last student; the two of them were still training together when the Argos was taken,” he leaned back in his seat, forcing himself to relax again. “I guess Axe and Rapier still think that way.”

 

“Oh; I suppose they would.”

 

There wasn’t really anything either of them could say in response to that, so Slade turned his attention back to the road they were traveling on; it helped not to think of what might’ve been at the end of it.

 

“Looks like it might just be Rapier on his own,” Maggie said, as the six of them continued on; driving into the night the way it seemed they always did these days.

 

“Sure seems quiet enough,” he muttered; still, there wasn’t much chance of things actually _staying_ quiet.

 

Once he and Rapier encountered each other, or Saber did likewise, the younger Teknoman was bound to contact Axe, and then all hell would inevitably break loose on whatever lonely, empty – or even not so empty – patch of ground that they finally managed to corner him on. That wasn’t a particularly happy thought, but when he spotted Saber and Maggie cheerfully making out in the seat right next to him, Slade rolled his eyes in fond exasperation.

 

“Get a room, you two,” he said amusedly, even as the Green Earth hit a particularly large bump in the road – that could have just as easily been a rock – jolting his brother and forcing him and Maggie both to hang on a bit tighter to the other than they already had been.

 

“Star,” Maggie said, her tone taking on that teasing lilt it always would when she was giving Star a hard time just for the sake of it; no doubt about it, she and Saber were _definitely_ soul mates. “Just because _you_ aren’t getting any, that doesn’t mean you get to take it out on the people who actually are.”

 

“Funny, Maggie,” Star muttered, then turned a narrow-eyed expression back on all of them. “But, this isn’t a joke. Look up ahead.” Joining the surge of his fellow Space Knights toward the front of the Green Earth, Slade sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as he saw just what it was that had drawn Star’s attention so completely even in light of all the things that they’d been seeing on the course of their wanderings. “Someone’s really burning the midnight oil up there.”

 

He narrowed his eyes, not particularly pleased to see just how irresponsible some people could be, not only with their own lives – which was bad enough on its own – but with those of everyone around them. Sure, some people might have found it more than a bit hard to keep hope in the face of everything that was going on, but that was hardly an excuse to be stupid; not the way these people were doing.

 

And hell, if Rapier _wasn’t_ here scoping this place out for Axe, he’d eat his boots with whipped cream on top.

 

“Geez,” Ringo gasped. “What’d you think it is?”

 

“A big waste of energy, I can tell you that much,” he groused, folding his arms as Saber came up next to him.

 

There wasn’t much of his younger twin’s habitual good-humor lingering about him, but then this wasn’t the occasion for it in any case. “Not to mention completely stupid. They’ll be _lucky_ if all they get is a Spider-crab swarm raining down on their heads.”

 

The Green Earth lurched into motion again, as Star gunned the accelerator and sent them flying along the road to what was clearly their next destination. Slade was all for it; not only was that kind of place basically inviting the notice of any and all Spider-crabs that might have been making a flyover of the area on their way to some other destination, but that kind of thing would be bound to draw Axe and Rapier’s attention like a magnet. There would hardly be a better place to look for the two of them, as morbid a thought as that so obviously was under the circumstances.

 

Particularly considering what happened to anyplace unfortunate enough to draw the attention of Radam’s Teknomen.

 

When they all arrived at the town, much quicker than they would have if Star hadn’t been so thoroughly determined to get them there as quickly as she could manage, Slade fell into step beside Saber as the six of them made their way into the town. The lights were almost painfully bright to his dark-adapted eyes, but Slade only had the moment it took to actually _notice_ the slight not-quite-pain before it was gone. One of the many things that set him apart as a Radam Teknoman.

 

Some people might even have called it an advantage of being such, he supposed; didn’t make up for everything else, of course.

 

“Look at it,” Tina said, sounding like she was stunned by the spectacle in front of them all. “This place is lit up like a giant birthday cake.”

 

Saber laughed; it wasn’t a particularly happy sound. “Well, if there’s one place you’d be practically _guaranteed_ to find Rapier, it would have to be here.”

 

He sighed; harsh as Saber’s words were, there was ultimately nothing he could say to dispute them. “Come on, let’s go shut off the power.”

 

Before he could take more than a step or so in the direction of the bar – either nameless or just named “Bar”; something that he’d have been a bit more amused by if the situation they were all in wasn’t particularly serious – Ringo stepped out in front of him and grabbed his right arm. “Hey-hey! Take it easy, kid! Easy! We don’t want to go in there half-cocked.”

 

“He’s right, Slade,” Maggie said. “Whoever’s in charge around here might not be in the mood to talk.”

 

“In the mood or not, everyone here is putting themselves in danger,” Saber said, not a single trace of humor lingering around him; he’d never been one to take endangering innocent people lightly, neither of them had, but this was worse than either of them had ever wanted to see. “The adults might deserve what they’re setting themselves up for, but if there are any kids here-”

 

“Yeah, I get ya,” Ringo said, the man shuddering briefly as he cut Saber off before his younger twin could properly get into just what kind of things could happen – _would_ happen – to any kids caught in the Radam attack these people were pretty much inviting to come to play with all of this crap they were insisting on lighting up all around themselves. “Still, the kind of people who would do this don’t seem like the kind who’d keep kids around to get underfoot.”

 

“You know I hope you’re right, Ringo, but you have to know what’ll happen if you’re not,” he said, narrowing his eyes as he looked from Ringo to the rest of the Space Knights.

 

“Well then, let’s hope those people are at _least_ as sensible as Saber,” Ringo said, grinning.

 

“Very funny, Ringo,” he said, turning away as Ringo chivvied the others back toward the Green Earth.

 

0001010010000

 

 _(Goddard-sensei, this town doesn’t seem to have anything of interest, aside from some energy that our Spider-crabs might want to gather up. However,)_ he narrowed his eyes slightly, as a very familiar group of humans turned to leave the nameless town at the urging of a particular blond that he recognized rather well. _(Ness, Cain, and some of their allies just passed this way. I’ve a feeling they’ll still be here when we want to look for them.)_

_(Nicely done, my little rabbit,)_ Goddard-sensei said, and Rapier could tell that he was pleased. _(You’ve done good work mapping the layout of that city; head to the outskirts and rejoin me in the air. You deserve some fun, after all your hard work.)_

_(Yes, Sensei,)_ he nodded his head sharply in lieu of a bow that Goddard-sensei wouldn’t be present to see. _(Thank you.)_

 

Pushing himself firmly away from the wall he’d been leaning against while he had been observing Ness, Cain, and the small group of humans who seemed to have attached themselves to his older brothers; most likely for the protection that both Ness and Cain seemed to provide. He would have wondered about that, if it hadn’t been for the obvious fact that thanks to their traitor father, Ness and Cain were still prey to human sentiment. It wasn’t right, and Rapier didn’t like the fact that he was essentially forced into open combat with his own older brothers, but this was what Conrad had had to deal with for all of the many months he’d been the only one holding the line against Ness, Cain, and their Space Knight allies.

 

He couldn’t do anything less, in light of that.

 

“Hey,” the sound of a human’s heavy footfalls coming towards him had been the first thing to alert Rapier to the fact that he was no longer entirely alone with his thoughts, but he had to admit to once having a hope that he wouldn’t have been forced to deal with any humans before he met up with Goddard-sensei again; clearly a futile hope, that. “What’s a kid your age doing so far away from the evacuation-point?” When he looked up at the human in askance, playing up the confusion and apprehension that a human of his age would most likely be feeling when being confronted with an adult asking such questions, Rapier was rather surprised at the reaction he was presented with: the human’s eyes widened, looking over his features as if trying to match them up to some kind of memory that he held in his feeble human mind. “Wait, you’re that Teknoman!”

 

 _Well, this is new,_ Rapier mused, raising his right eyebrow even as he dashed forward to intercept the human attempting to flee and warn the others of his kind; naturally, he was able to catch up to the human before he’d taken more than two and a half steps in the direction that he’d been trying to go. Backhanding the human’s head clear off, Rapier landed easily back on his feet as the man’s head bounced against the pitted surface of the wall he’d been standing in front of, trailing blood and gore as it did so. _I’ll have to tell Goddard-sensei about this._

 

He might not’ve liked the thought that he’d been spotted by a human, but he wasn’t about to allow a potential problem to go unreported simply for the sake of his own pride; Goddard-sensei would have been _so_ disappointed with him for that.

 

1101001001111

 

Once they’d all managed to get settled onboard the Green Earth for the night, Saber tried to put aside his thoughts of who might be alive or dying in the town down in the valley they’d pretty much left to their fate. Which was just a nicer way of saying that they’d left the people there to the Radam and anything at all that the Spider-crabs – or worse, Axe and Rapier – were doing to them even while the six of them sat around and waited for news. Sighing as he looked down at the food he was eating – something like a TV tray that had been filled up with various colored kinds of mush, Saber tried to put that out of his mind, too.

 

Not that it wasn’t tasty mush, at least, but it was still kind of weird for Saber to find himself eating mush when he had long since passed the age when he’d have found the stuff palatable.

 

“I can’t believe we just left them there to carry on like that!” Star snapped. “Saber’s right, it’s incredibly irresponsible!”

 

“Hey, give me _some_ credit, Star. I have a hidden purpose, here,” Ringo said.

 

He smirked, tilting his head slightly. “Ah, so you have a _plan_? Well, why don’t you share with the rest of the class?”

 

Ringo smirked back at him, before adopting what might have been termed a standard lecturing pose by anyone who was present to see it. “You see, all of the energy from that honky-tonk dive is bound to draw the attention of Axe and his little crony Rapier, or any of the other Teknomen who might be in the area. And when they _do_ show up, we’ll be right here waiting for them.”

 

“Well, it certainly beats traveling around, looking for them under every rock,” Maggie said.

 

“Right,” Ringo nodded, looking pretty pleased with himself. “On top of everything else, we’ll save fuel.”

 

“Are you really suggesting we use those people as _bait_?” Star demanded.

 

Saber didn’t know just how he felt about basically leaving those people to their fate; on the one hand, he and Slade were _trying_ to keep as much of humanity alive as best they could under the circumstances, but on the other…

 

“Who cares about that bunch of bums?” Ringo snarked. “They deserve what they get.”

 

“You mean, we’d be there to intervene before anyone got hurt, don’t you, Ringo?” Tina asked, in a more sarcastic tone than he’d ever thought to hear from her.

 

Then again, Ringo _was_ being a bit more of a jerk than usual.

 

“A Teknoman trap,” Slade said, tilting his head slightly; the two of them shared a look.

 

“Yeah; I think it might be worth a shot,” he said, tapping his right pointer-finger against the spoon he was still holding.

 

“I think we might not’ve been the first to think of that,” Maggie said, turning and making for the fold-out computer on the left-hand side of the room. “I just remembered; there was a small AEM outpost near this area,” she began typing away as all of them watched, bringing up a map of the surrounding countryside. “The computer says that there’s a ninety-man mechanized-mortar squad posted about five kilometers to the west of us.”

 

“The military’s here?” Tina asked, sounding about as surprised as he felt.

 

“You think those voices coming from that bar were _soldiers_?” Star asked, though at this point the question seemed a bit rhetorical.

 

“They might’ve had the very same idea we did,” Maggie said seriously.

 

“So, they’re _trying_ to get the Radam’s attention!” Star exclaimed.

 

“Well, we already knew those people were stupid when we got here,” he groused, shaking his head.

 

“Yeah; I take back what I said about ‘em: those guys aren’t bums, they’re more like a bunch of suicidal maniacs,” Ringo snarked.

 

“Maybe not,” Maggie said. “They might have a carefully worked out plan that _we_ know nothing about. It’s possible that, by involving ourselves, we’d run the risk of jeopardizing their whole operation.”

 

“Maggie, I love you and all, but think about what you’re saying,” he said, stepping closer so that he could rest his right hand on her right shoulder. “You’ve _seen_ the kind of damage that the Radam can do to the people who try to stand up to them.”

 

“Hate to break this up, you two, but if those incoming pingers on the monitors are what I think they are, then the situation’s out of our hands,” Star said.

 

Saber turned his own attention to the monitoring screen, already knowing exactly what he would see before he looked: flying Spider-crabs, the Radam’s piranhas of the air.

 

1110010010010

 

As he and the Spider-crabs he was commanding descended on the nameless town full of idiot humans who had been so brazen as to call them there almost by name, Axe smiled under his helmet as he draped his arms around Rapier’s armored – though still at this point rather narrow – shoulders as he brought his halberd forward to throw a blast of bright red energy into the midst of the insects who were still attempting to stand against the Radam.

 

 _(Remember what I taught you, little rabbit: be swift, be merciless, and be efficient,)_ he said, giving Rapier a gentle push off of the nose of Spear’s borrowed mount. He grinned wider. _(Run, rabbit, run.)_

_(Yes, Goddard-sensei.)_

 

Turning his attention back to the humans, pitiful though their efforts at attacking him and his student were, Axe wondered for a moment just when Ness and Cain would be paying them a visit. Not only were the twins dedicated to protecting these insignificant human insects, but Rapier had reported their presence in the area. It was, therefore, only a matter of time before the twins made their appearance.

 

And then, he and Rapier would handle them; though he couldn’t help the hope that those stubborn boys would put aside this silly little rebellion of theirs.

 

_(Sensei, they’re coming.)_

_(Yes,)_ he smiled softly. _(I thought they might be.)_

_(This is_ his _fault, isn’t it.)_

 

He sighed, Sam _had_ always been rather perceptive; it seemed to be a family trait, that. _(Yes; they would have been ours, if not for him.)_

Rapier didn’t answer, but when he looked over to see how his student was doing, Axe found him engaging the human in the armored suit. He only had a moment to consider that, before Axe found himself the target of both Ness and Cain’s attacks.

 

 _(We’ve been looking for you, Axe!)_ Ness growled.

 

 _(How nice for you that you’ve found me,)_ he retorted, knocking Ness’ armored form free from the back of Spear’s borrowed mount, even as Cain swooped in to attack him in turn.

 

Still, as pleased as he was – in a perverse sort of way – to see his two missing students so closely again, Axe knew that this was neither the time nor the place for the kind of reunion that they needed to have. If Ness and Cain were indeed so determined to follow in the footsteps of their traitor father, then he would simply have to show them both what lay at the end of that road. And, further, he would have to show them well enough that they would both fully _understand_ the lesson.

 

 _(Running away, you coward?!)_ Ness demanded, once he began to withdraw from the battle in earnest.

 

 _(I suppose you’ll just have to catch up with us again, sometime,)_ he offered, leaping back up onto Spear’s borrowed mount. _(Sam, withdraw.)_

_(Yes, sensei.)_

 

Gently guiding Rapier back to the younger Teknoman’s place in front of him, Axe flew off with only a single look back at his two most wayward of students. The time when they would all meet in combat was coming, yes – no one who knew their duty to the Empire as he did could refuse to carry through with the plan that he had made – but such a thing _could_ be delayed for a time. Time enough, perhaps, for Ness and Cain to realize just what it was that they were truly missing by siding with the humans as they had.

 

He didn’t honestly hold out much hope for that, however; all of their good qualities aside, those boys were terribly stubborn when they put their minds to something.


	30. Lady in Waiting

When the three of them had returned to the Green Earth at last, Slade couldn’t say that he was particularly happy with the way things had being going. Yes, he and Saber needed those teknocrystals to get up to the Moon and to face Darkon so they could finally _end_ this war, but the cost of such a thing was really starting to get to him. The people who had lived in that town, careless as they had been with their own lives and the lives of the people all around them, hadn’t really deserved for Rapier and Axe to come down on them like bolts of armored lightning from the clear sky. _No one_ human deserved _that_.

 

Still, Slade didn’t know just what he could _do_ about Axe and Rapier, given the fact that the two of them never seemed to stay in one place long enough that he and Saber could manage to pin them down and finally deal with them; sure, he knew that that was probably their plan, but he hated this uncertainty all the same.

 

While the rest of his fellow Space Knights started preparing for bed, plotting a course and then programming it into the Green Earth’s computer so that the tank could take them further along their present course while those manning her got what sleep they could during the night, Slade went to find Saber. He didn’t think Saber would actually have any better ideas than he’d been having about dealing with Axe and Rapier, but together they stood a much better chance of being able to hash something workable out.

 

That’s what he was hoping, anyway.

 

01001001001

 

They’d been in contact with Katherine and Shinji briefly, informing their fellow Teknomen of their plans and the fact that they wouldn’t be returning to the house that the other members of their group had settled for the duration of their stay on Earth, and had gotten a well-wish from Katherine at least. Shinji, while no one could say he wasn’t dedicated to their cause, _had_ become a bit unsociable during the course of their campaign. Axe wasn’t one to overly concern himself with the affairs of other people if they weren’t causing him or the cause any trouble, but he knew at Conrad and Shinji would be having words once the former awakened properly.

 

Looking down at the slumbering form of Sam in his arms, Axe smiled softly; yes, there were going to be hard times ahead for them all, not the least because of Ness and Cain’s continued refusal to see sense and abandon whatever futile ideas of rebellion Ulysses had planted in their heads when he had pulled them free from their teknopods aboard Lord Darkon’s ship, but he could at least be pleased that he and Sam were getting to spend so much time together. Sam was doing quite well with his training, and while seeing him having to fight Ness and Cain was rather a sad thing, it _was_ a mark of his skill that Sam had been able to fight on the same level as those two.

 

Holding Sam a bit closer as he continued to make his way to the abandoned church that he had spotted while he had been making a flyover of this area, Axe smiled thinly.

 

0101001001001

 

The rumble of the tank’s engine was starting to keep him awake through the nights, and Slade didn’t know just what he was supposed to do about that. He knew that his and Saber’s senses were more powerful than a baseline human’s, but he was honestly starting to wish that he could just _turn them off_ for one night to get some real sleep for a change. Closing his eyes as he lay back down on the fold-out bed, Slade focused on his breathing and tried not to think of anything else.

 

Evidently, he _had_ managed to get some sleep that previous night, because he woke up feeling rested and refreshed in that way that only a good night’s sleep could make him feel. Still, at the same time there was a sense of… something he wasn’t sure that anyone human would have been feeling. The best he could manage was to describe it as a kind of anticipation.

 

As though he was waiting for something important to happen.

 

_(Saber, are you feeling this, too?)_

_(You mean, like the entire world’s holding its breath? That everything we know is poised just on the edge of something you can’t properly conceive of?)_

Slade chuckled bitterly, deep in his throat. _(That’s about the size of it,)_ he said, making his way into the front area of the Green Earth, where he could sense his younger twin’s presence.

 

He found Saber curled up in the front-most passenger seat of the tank, left knee up against his chest, and both arms around that knee as he rested. Though Slade could sense that his younger twin wasn’t nearly at ease as someone else might have taken him for being. There was a tension in his brother’s mind that Saber’s iron control over his emotions, long-practiced during the course of their war against the Radam, wasn’t about to show.

 

Sure, people might think that Saber was the more open of the pair of them – and in more ways than one that was true – but it was at times like these when Slade became uncomfortably aware of just how similar the two of them were.

 

Settling down in the driver’s chair beside his brother, careful not to disturb the computer from its plotted course, Slade looked out at the thick, nigh-impenetrable forest of teknoplants that stood all around them. He hated the place, but at least he could say that he knew where that feeling of anticipation he’d kept getting was coming from: even if he’d deny it to his dying breath, even though he hated the thought of what had been done to him and all of the members of his and Saber’s family, it was still a fact that they _had_ been changed by the Radam.

 

The sense he was getting off of all these teknoplants was just one more manifestation of the sheer difference between his life as a human, and the life that had been forced on him as a Teknoman.

 

The sound of the Green Earth’s interior doors opening behind him brought Slade’s attention back to the present, though it didn’t quite manage to cover the feeling of anticipation he was still picking up from all of the teknoplants still surrounding the Green Earth as it continued on its way. As the two of them were gently edged out of their seats by Ringo and Star – Ringo taking the driver’s seat, and Star settling down in the passenger seat next to him – Slade stood up and watched as the other man came and leaned over the computer.

 

“It looks like the entire world is becoming a wasteland,” Star muttered, though Slade heard her just as clearly as if she’d been speaking at a normal volume. “Nothing but desolation, as far as the eye can see.”

 

Sighing as the Green Earth trundled onward, Slade tried not to think about just how uncomfortably true that assessment was. Sure, a more naïve person – or one of the Radam’s own – might have tried to say that there was a strange beauty to these plants, but the clear fact remained that all of them were a danger to every human on Earth for as long as they remained intact. They were the Radam’s secret weapons in their war of conquest, and the sooner they were all destroyed the better.

 

For everyone’s sake.

 

“We’ll soon be out of this,” Ringo reported, as the thrum of the Green Earth’s engines continued to fill his ears, though Slade knew it wasn’t such a problem for anyone but Saber. “Monitor shows there’s a clearing not far from here.”

 

The tank continued on, heading for the clearing that the instruments had detected, and Slade tried to make himself calm down. He was still getting that sense of anticipation, but it was stronger now. It also had a concrete direction, now: it was coming from up ahead of them. Soon enough, they would all find out why; though Slade suspected that he and Saber had already guessed the answers.

 

“Uh-oh!” Star exclaimed, as the computer’s alarm began to sound; he and Saber shared an exasperated side-glance. “Warning of hostile entities, dead-ahead!”

 

“Spider-crabs!” Tina pointed out, for the benefit of those who couldn’t actually sense them. “Big ones!”

 

Sighing, even as he saw Saber rolling his eyes, Slade gritted his teeth as the Green Earth began to close in on the creatures’ location. He’d been wanting to have at least _some_ reprieve from spending all his time fighting the Radam’s army of mutant space-insects, but it looked like that was just a bit _too_ much to ask.

 

“Let’s go!” Ringo shouted, leaping up out of his seat as Slade did the same; behind him, he could hear Saber doing likewise.

 

“Wait a minute, guys,” Maggie said, drawing their attention before the three of them could make it out of the tank’s cockpit. “Take a look over there.”

 

Turning back, so that he could see just what it was that the Spider-crabs in front of them were actually _doing_ , Slade found that they were undergoing the second stage of their metamorphosis. Someone commented on just that very thing, but Slade wasn’t paying a lot of attention to that anymore. Sure, there was a part of him that would have liked nothing more than to burn down as many of the Radam’s spoor trees as his Tekno-bolt could touch, but he knew just how important it was for him and Saber to conserve their strength for the hunt that they were still on.

 

There was always the chance that they would encounter Axe and Rapier on this excursion of theirs, after all.

 

“Apparently, they’re not taking any notice of us right now,” Ringo said, sounding like he didn’t quite know if he was entirely pleased by that; Slade knew it was probably just a joke, but if the Radam weren’t going to concern themselves with some wandering Space Knights, Slade wasn’t going to question their good fortune too much. They’d had little enough of that as it was. “They aren’t even bothering to attack. All right; it’s pointless to just stick around here, so let’s keep moving.”

 

1011010010111

 

Settling down in front of the Green Earth’s main console, about to suit actions to words, Ringo looked up to see a huge, Disney-looking castle towering over the Radam’s forest in the far distance. It looked almost like it was up on a hill, which was more than possible considering he didn’t know the terrain around here very well. And, considering the stranglehold that the Radam had on this place, he couldn’t help the thought that that was probably a good thing.

 

“Wow,” he commented. “Check it out.”

 

“What is it?” Star asked.

 

“It’s where we’re going to spend the night,” he said, already beginning to steer the Green Earth towards – and he couldn’t believe he was actually getting to _do_ something like this – the castle on the hill.

 

“What if the owner doesn’t want visitors?” Star asked, sounding like she didn’t approve of what he was planning.

 

“Won’t be a problem,” he said, knowing that that was most likely true. “A place like that is more than likely to be abandoned.”

 

“You mean, like your old house was abandoned?” Saber asked, smirking in that way he did when he’d thought of something someone else hadn’t taken the time to consider.

 

Ringo opened his mouth, then sighed. “All right, good point. We’ll have to handle this with tact.”

 

“So, in other words, you’re going to let _me_ do all the talking, right?”

 

Turning back to see the sheer smugness of the smirk on Saber’s face, and more than that the way the kid winked at him let Ringo know that he’d spotted the same tension in everyone else aboard the Green Earth that he himself had been wondering how to deal with. Grinning slightly, Ringo shook his fist at Saber.

 

“How ‘bout a _tactful_ punch in the face?”

 

“You know, I don’t think you’re the kind of person who could actually manage that, Ringo,” the kid said, giving him the same kind of sidelong grin that he’d come to expect from the kid when the two of them were ribbing each other for the sheer fun of it; among other reasons.

 

The tension in the tank was at least _starting_ to ease, so Ringo figured that his and Saber’s little act had come off pretty well, if he did say so himself.

 

As the Green Earth continued on its way to that – he still couldn’t believe he was actually getting the chance to see something like it – castle that they’d found, Ringo wondered if there _would_ ultimately end up being someone trying to stay in there. They’d have to evacuate this hypothetical person, of course, since there was no way in hell that any of them were just going to leave any of their people behind to face god-knew how many more of the Radam. But, that was just assuming they existed in the first place; that was what he and his fellow Space Knights were going to find out, just as soon as they managed to find a place to park the tank.

 

Once that particular task had been taken care of, Ringo joined the stream of his fellow Space Knights as they all made their way out of the tank and onto the path that lead up to a bridge over an honest-to-God _moat_ surrounding the main building.

 

“The more I see of _this_ place, the more I think it _has_ to be abandoned,” Maggie said with a shudder, leaning in close to Saber as the two of them continued on their way closer to the castle in the center of the grounds.

 

“Either of you kids getting the feeling that we’re not alone heading into this place?” he asked, wanting to be as sure as he could that a certain pair of evil Teknomen were as far away from this place as possible.

 

Saber and Slade did the twin thing for a bit, then turned to look up at the castle where all of them were heading with all but identical looks of concentration on their faces. He and the rest of their fellow Space Knights paused for a long moment, letting the Wonder Twins make sure as best they could that there were no evil Teknomen waiting in the wings to ambush them.

 

“There’s no one either of us can sense inside that building,” Slade reported at last; Ringo let out the breath he’d been holding. “Either there’s no one in there, or anyone who _is,_ is human.”

 

No one seemed to know just what they were hoping for, in the end, so their group was pretty quiet as they made their way up to the huge double-doors of the castle.

 

“Does anyone see a way to let anyone who might be in there know we’re here?” Maggie asked, after they’d all spent a few, long moments staring at the fancy front entrance they’d all gathered around.

 

“Nope; no bell pulls, chimes, or call-buttons of any kind,” Saber said, looking up at the double-doors like they were some kind of puzzle that he had been asked to solve.

 

Still, that _was_ pretty much the situation they were facing right now, and if Saber could figure out some way of getting them into this place without either having to break down the door, or just having Pegas shove it open. Both of which would have been pretty much the rudest thing they could have done to anyone living here.

 

But, as it turned out, someone on the inside wanted to see them.

 

11010100001

 

When the doors of the huge castle-looking house began to open, Saber wasn’t quite sure who or what he was expecting to see, but it at least hadn’t been a house-robot styled after the robot from Forbidden Planet whose name he couldn’t quite recall. Blinking in surprise as the robot pushed the double-doors open and looked out at them all, Saber didn’t even bother trying to suppress his smirk.

 

“And here _you_ thought we’d be the only ones staying here,” he said, thoroughly amused at the surreality of their current situation.

 

“Okay, I admit I might’ve jumped the gun a bit, there,” Ringo said, looking like he was about as amused by what they were all seeing, but then he sobered. “Still, it’s not like we can just leave whoever’s staying here out on their own.”

 

“Yeah,” Slade said, stepping forward and looking up at the castle that towered above them all. “We’re going to have to bring them with us; no way they’d be able to survive much longer in the middle of all these spoor plants.”

 

“Welcome!” the robot said, in a voice that was about as _unlike_ its imposing appearance as it was possible to be; it sounded like someone’s idea of an upper-class butler who somehow wasn’t quite British. “Welcome to Elysian Fields! I am Torg,” the robot said, after a moment of purely electronic communication exchanged with Pegas. “I shall escort you to the Mistress.”

 

Torg certainly wasn’t slow about suiting actions to words, and was soon leading them deeper into the grounds inside the concrete breezeway that had been behind the double-doors. There were statues tucked into recesses near the ceiling on the inside wall of the breezeway, and Saber took brief note of them while he and Slade fell into step with each other.

 

 _(So, how do you think we should handle this?)_ he asked, as the conversation between Torg and their fellow Space Knights swirled around them.

 

_(I think we should at least try to persuade them to leave with us, before we try anything drastic.)_

_(Yeah,)_ he said, nodding.

 

It was always best to try at diplomatic approach first, at least when you weren’t being forced to deal with the Radam or their brainwashed mind-slaves. This was just someone who’d had the bad luck to be living in an area that was steadily being overgrown by the Radam’s spoor-plants. Still, he could understand them not wanting to leave their home, no matter how dangerous the situation around them was becoming.

 

He could _understand_ it, but that didn’t remotely mean that Saber was about to let them stay in danger the way they were doing right now.

 

The sounds of music playing, either someone on a piano or else someone’s recording of someone on a piano, began to reach Saber’s ears as they crossed from the breezeway into the castle itself. It was all so strangely _normal_ that he found himself looking over to Slade to see what his older twin made of all this. He looked about as surprised as Saber felt.

 

“Must you know _everything_?” Star demanded.

 

“Okay, what did I miss?” he asked, as he and Slade both looked from their respective girlfriends to the other’s and back again.

 

“Maggie was just showing off again, Saber,” Star said, sounding a bit miffed.

 

“Don’t pay any attention to _her_ , Saber,” Maggie said, with an exaggerated, dismissive tone. “It’s hardly _my_ fault she doesn’t study history.”

 

“The Mistress will join you in the grand ballroom,” Torg said, before Star could say anything else in response.

 

“All right, kids; I don’t think our gracious host wants to be dealing with a lovers’ spat,” Ringo said, grinning at them in a way that couldn’t help but look taunting; Saber figured that that was the point. “So why don’t you pack it in?”

 

He and Slade both caught the others’ eye, slapping Ringo upside the head for that last dig at the same time. They all made it to the large, ornate, off-white double-doors that led into the grand ballroom that Torg had told them about before Ringo could say anything in response, but their fellow Space Knight _did_ shoot them a look of annoyance when they all reached the doors together.

 

Behind the doors, there was another staircase, made of blue-painted wood with a gold-edged red carpet laid out down the center. The landing above the staircase branched off into two perpendicular paths, both of them leading up to a balcony that ran around the edges of the large room. There were gasps of wonder from a lot of their fellow Space Knights, and even Saber had to admit that seeing this kind of a place up close was really something.

 

“Is this some sort of dream?” Maggie muttered, and Saber smiled gently at her as she leaned into his left side.

 

“Well, I don’t really see how _that’s_ possible,” Slade said, and Saber turned to see where his brother was pointing. “She’s real enough.”

 

There was a girl about Tina’s age at the top of the main staircase. She was wearing a white dress with blue ruffles and trim, holding it up in a way that might have been calculated to look both dainty and practical. She looked more than a bit like a character out of some kind of historical romance; someone from the deep south, or thereabouts.

 

He didn’t quite know just how or why someone would try to maintain this kind of luxury in the face of the Radam’s invasion, but Saber made a personal vow to keep an eye on her; it seemed entirely too possible that her mind had snapped under the stress of everything that was happening. God knew _he’d_ felt the strain of it more than once.

 

“She certainly is.”

 

“Oh, she’s _lovely._ ”

 

Ringo and Star’s commentary brought Saber’s attention back from where it had wandered, and he smiled at their host. Just because he was starting to have a bit more than his share of doubts about her mental state, it was no call to be rude. Particularly since he and Slade, and likely the rest of their fellow Space Knights, were going to be doing their level best to try and convince her to leave this place with them.

 

They weren’t about to leave even a crazy person stranded at the mercy of the Radam.

 

“Welcome,” the young girl in the blue-trimmed white dress said. “I am Gloria.”

 

“We’re very pleased to meet you,” Tina said, after a moment spent stuttering on her response.

 

While Gloria went about inviting the six of them who could actually partake of her hospitality to do so, Saber tried to figure out just what it was about her that was putting him slightly on-edge. She seemed like a perfectly nice person, and he’d have known any of the Radam’s Teknomen on sight, so it wasn’t anything as obvious as that. Smiling for Gloria when her attention fell upon him and Maggie, Saber made a mental note to speak with Slade as soon as he could pull his brother aside to do so.

 

Gloria led them up the stairs and to the left, into one of the rooms that Saber hadn’t been able to see from his vantagepoint on the ground floor. Stepping into the room, Saber found himself looking into a cozy not-quite-so-little sitting room, with two well-upholstered couches and a pair of overstuffed chairs surrounding a rectangular table; the table itself had been neatly set out with cups, saucers, and napkins for each of them, every one of those placed in front of a chair that was clearly for one of them.

 

The centerpiece was a fancy flower-arrangement, and Saber smiled slightly to see it; it was a reminder of a more simple time, times when people actually _could_ surround themselves with luxuries. He wondered for a moment how Gloria managed it, but then decided it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t like they were going to be able to stay here, after all.

 

Not when this place had been so completely surrounded by the Radam’s biotechnology.

 

“We have so few visitors, I hope ya’ll will stay around here for awhile,” Gloria said, smiling at all of them.

 

“I don’t know,” Star said, sounding about as uncertain as Saber himself felt. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea. Surely, you must be aware of the danger that surrounds your house. Is there anyone else here that could protect you.”

 

“Not at present,” Gloria said, looking down at her lap, with the saddened sort of expression that he’d become all too familiar with from Slade. “My grandfather is lord of the castle, but he’s been abroad for some time.”

 

“How long has he been gone?” Tina asked.

 

“Been gone?” Gloria echoed; and Saber looked more intently at her, knowing that Slade was doing the same. “I don’t know, exactly.”

 

“Was it before the mass invasion of all the Spider-crabs?” Tina asked.

 

“More likely after,” Star said. “He probably went for help.”

 

“How long have you been alone here?” he asked, trying to be comforting, even in the face of the uncomfortable memories that Gloria’s story was bringing up.

 

“Oh, I’m hardly alone,” Gloria said, smiling brightly; Saber thought it would’ve been pretty convincing, if he hadn’t known himself so well. “I have Torg here with me.”

 

“Excuse me, milady,” Torg called, drawing their attention as he came back into the room.

 

“Yes, what is it?” Gloria asked.

 

“The tea is ready to be served, milady,” Torg said, pushing a cart into the room, laden with a white tea-service.

 

He suspected it was fine china, but he wasn’t about to say anything.

 

“Thank you, Torg,” Gloria said, smiling. “That would be heavenly.” As Torg came over to their group and began serving them tea, Gloria smiled wider. “Serving tea is a tradition we try to maintain in these difficult times. I hope you like it.”

 

“Yes, very much,” Maggie said, as Torg served her a cup of tea and then moved onto Saber himself.

 

“Excuse me, miss,” Ringo said. “But, why haven’t you and your robot left to search for your grandfather?”

 

Saber knew that this situation had to be getting to Ringo, particularly given everything Saber had found out about the man’s own home life. Hell, it was getting to _him_ , and the only thing he really had in common was that they had both lost family members to the Radam. And sure, that was a big thing to have in common at a time like this, but it wasn’t as though a lot of other people didn’t share their circumstances.

 

He didn’t like thinking about that so much, but it was the truth all the same.

 

“It’s very simple: I promised Grandfather. Somebody has to maintain the place. I must do what he thinks is best.”

 

 _(I don’t think this girl is quite all there,)_ he said, narrowing his eyes and forcing himself not to sigh.

 

 _(Yeah; I’m afraid you’re right.)_ “But, aren’t you concerned about all the vegetation closing in around your property?” Slade asked.

 

Gloria went out to one of the large, curtained windows just opposite the couch where Ringo, Slade and Star had all been seated, looking out across the vast expanse of teknoplants that were even now steadily closing around them all. Not unlike a noose, really.

 

“You mean the trees?” she asked, and her tone was enough to confirm for Saber what he’d been suspecting since they’d started this conversation: she really _wasn’t_ all there. “I admit, they’re strange. But why should I be concerned with something as perfectly natural and harmless as a tree?”

 

“Because the trees closing in around this place aren’t remotely natural, and they _certainly_ aren’t harmless,” Saber said, firmly setting his teacup down as he decided to share some truth with this girl; he hoped it would at least be enough to bring her around to the idea of coming with them when they inevitably left this place. “They came with the Spider-crabs, and more of them keep appearing every day. At the rate they’re advancing, they’re more than likely to overrun this castle of yours in a week, if not a shorter time than that.”

 

The girl didn’t even react to what he was saying, which was yet another point in favor of the girl having lost her mind during the time she’d been confined to the grounds of this castle. Saber didn’t quite know if he was more annoyed by her than he felt sorry for her, but either way, it was going to be up to him, Slade, and their fellow Space Knights to save her from what was either crippling naïveté or insanity.

 

Either way, Saber suspected it wasn’t going to be pretty, or easy; but then, nothing seemed to be either of those things lately. Not since the invasion.

 

“I’m sure that is, but y’all must be very tired, and we can discuss that later,” Gloria said, with a smile that Saber couldn’t help but notice was disturbingly vacant. “My home is at your complete disposal, and we’ll try to make you as comfortable as possible. Torg!” she waved to the large, black robot who was still dwarfed by Pegas’ imposing bulk; all the moreso, now that the two of them were standing so close together. “Will you show our guests to their rooms?”

 

As they were all led out of the room by Torg, Saber sighed softly as Slade and Star caught up to them, and Maggie wrapped both of her arms around his right. _(Gotta say, I feel kind of sorry for her.)_

_(Yeah,)_ Slade returned, and he could sense his older twin’s reluctant sympathy. _(Anyone in the wrong sort of circumstances could have ended up like that.)_

 

The unspoken fact that it could just as easily been one of _them_ , if not for their determination and mental resilience, wasn’t something that Saber felt the need to articulate. There were already enough pressing issues that they all had on their minds without adding _that_ to top it off.

 

Putting those particularly morbid thoughts aside, Saber smiled as he found Maggie pulling him down to land beside her on a bed with the pinkest covers and pillows he’d seen in quite some time. Ignoring the fact that those colors couldn’t help but remind him of Shara, Saber smiled as Maggie curled up against his chest.

 

“I swear, I could sleep for a _month_ like this,” she said, closing her eyes as she smiled up at him.

 

“We shouldn’t let ourselves get used to this,” Slade said firmly, before Saber could articulate anything himself; though he completely shared the sentiment.

 

“You’re right,” he said, twisting around so he could sit up. “All things considered, this place isn’t going to be around very long. And we’re still going to have to rescue that girl, Gloria.”

 

“You’re right,” Star said, as the five of them – sans Tina, who’d gone off with Gloria at the other girl’s request; something about trying on dresses – all sat down around yet another table, though this one was an actual coffee table, short legs and everything, but still surrounded by plush chairs and couches. “What do you think happened to her grandfather?”

 

He and Maggie had curled up together, on a couch just about perpendicular to the one where Slade and Star were sitting, with Ringo just opposite the two of them.

 

“That’s pretty obvious, don’t you think?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to look at her. “He’s not likely to have made it through the Spider-crabs, if he was actually lucky enough not to encounter one of the Teknomen.”

 

While he didn’t know if Gloria’s grandfather had left this castle of hers before or after Darkon’s frontline soldiers had started descending to Earth, Saber was certain that – wherever he’d managed to make it to before some of the Radam’s forces had inevitably caught up with him – he wasn’t coming back.

 

That pretty much killed any lingering good mood they’d had from being able to sleep in such nicely-appointed rooms. And yeah, while he _was_ as pleased as he could be – at least under the circumstances – to be getting room and board in a place this cozy, every sense Saber had was telling him that this peace and quiet of theirs wouldn’t last long. Particularly the ones that had been affected by the Radam.

 

Torg had informed them, before departing for another part of the house with Pegas in tow, that dinner would be served at six. That left them with about two hours, or realistically one and a half, before they’d be called down to have dinner with Gloria and her guardian robot. It was kind of a strange situation, but not really any stranger than the ones that he, Slade, and their fellow Space Knights had been called on to deal with during the course of their search for some means of reaching the Space Ring.

 

Some way that didn’t rely on the Blue Earth.

 

0010010010100

 

Once the five of them had gotten all cleaned up and combed for dinner, a phrase that was just a bit more literal for the Wonder Twins than those of them who’d been smart enough to keep their hair reasonably short during this whole debacle, Ringo joined the rest of his fellow Space Knights as they all trooped down to the dining room, following Gloria, who’d come to get them just five minutes after the last of them had finished washing up. He wondered for a bit just how Tina was getting on; the kid hadn’t had much of an opportunity to _be_ a kid, not with everything that’d been going on lately.

 

Not with the invasion, and the Radam that had been raining down destruction and misery down on the world for so damn long.

 

He thought it was nice of Gloria to offer her that, even though it was pretty damn clear that she’d gone a bit off the deep-end with everything that’d gone on. Not that he blamed the girl or anything; wasn’t like everyone in the world could be as mentally resilient as the Wonder Twins. Wasn’t like most people got the tempering they’d had since before the invasion had started; not like most people would’ve _wanted_ it, either.

 

The five of them all arranged themselves around the table, which Ringo couldn’t help but note was very tastefully laid out and decorated, settling themselves down in the chairs that had been so generously set out for them sometime earlier. Or, at least that was what he liked to think; he didn’t enjoy the thought that Gloria had had this table set out for so many people while just gathering dust.

 

Then again, it was obvious to anyone who really _looked_ that Gloria was more than a bit cracked in the head.

 

Conversation around the table wasn’t really a thing, since the last member of their group was missing, and no one particularly wanted to talk about their plans to rescue Gloria  before the Radam’s trees killed her when the woman herself was sitting right at the table with them. Still, they _were_ trying to keep things all light and casual so Gloria wouldn’t suspect they were planning anything. Even if that “thing” was to get her and her robot buddy out of this place before the Radam’s latest crop of teknoplants could bring the whole castle crashing down around them.

 

“All right,” he said, once Gloria had left to go fetch Tina. “Are we all agreed, then?” he asked, wanting to be clear about this; there was a general chorus of affirmatives around the table. “Fine, it’s settled: we take the girl with us when we leave.”

 

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen.” Ringo turned an incredulous look on a certain Teknobot of their acquaintance as Pegas made his way in, a small, wheeled dinner cart looking all the smaller next to his impressive bulk. “Dinner is ready to be served.”

 

He even had the whole cloth-napkin-draped-over-his-arm bit, Ringo noted, while trying not to snicker at the sheer strangeness of the image Pegas as a waiter presented to them. Nodding to Saber as he caught the kid’s eye, Ringo saw Saber’s amused smirk in response to the antics of his and Slade’s combat partner.

 

“Pegas, what’re you doing?” the kid asked, sounding about as amused as he’d previously looked.

 

“Designation: butler,” the combat-mech said, as both Saber _and_ Maggie laughed softly.

 

“You know, I think I could get used to this,” Maggie said, still grinning. “What d’you think, Saber?”

 

“As long as Slade doesn’t mind, I’m all for it,” the kid said, smirking in that way he did when he wanted people to know he was joking.

 

Gloria came back in before those kids of theirs could really start getting into the banter, however, and so they all fell silent. It looked like she had something to say.

 

“Good evenin’. I have an excitin’ surprise for y’all,” she turned slightly to her right, smiling all the wider. “Tina, dear?”

 

Their comm. officer, all decked out in pink satin – but looking a bit shy with all of the attention in the room now focused squarely on her – came hesitantly back into the room. Star sounded a bit startled to see Tina all dolled up the way she’d been, but Ringo was glad to see that one more of them was getting to enjoy themselves in spite of every horrible thing that the Radam had brought to Earth when they’d set their sights on the planet and all her people. He wasn’t going to _say_ anything, though, since the Wonder Twins still blamed themselves and their family for bringing this war they were all now part of.

 

It was kinda stupid, since it wasn’t like any of them had known what they were getting into when they’d made their way inside that damned Radam ship, and any other group of space explorers worth their salt would’ve made just the same call if _they’d_ been the ones in those circumstances; so he wasn’t going to go bringing up anything their boys might want to leave buried.

 

“You look great, kid,” he said, smiling at the younger Space Knight, who managed to work up the nerve to smile back as she and Gloria made their way over to the table where all of them were sitting.

 

“I’m sorry to be late,” Tina said, giving a curtsey that Ringo could tell she’d been holding back for awhile.

 

“Welcome, miss,” Torg said. “And, may I say, you look lovely tonight.”

 

“You know, that dress _does_ look really good on you,” Maggie said, her tone a bit wistful. “Almost makes me wish she’d had one in _my_ size.” She turned a winsome smile on Saber. “What d’you think, huh? I’d look good in a dress like that, right?”

 

“I think you’d look great in a dress like that,” Saber said, smiling gently; the little charmer. “Of course, I think you look great _anyway_.”

 

And, since he’d never known Maggie to let flattery like _that_ go unrewarded, he wasn’t surprised at all to find the two of them kissing the next time he looked.

 

“Y’all make a lovely couple,” Gloria said, as their two particularly enthusiastic lovebirds broke for air. “I do hope you find the accommodations to your likin’.”

 

“We do, thanks,” Saber said, smiling openly at the young woman – about Tina’s own age, if he was any judge – who had so generously offered them shelter.

 

They were, naturally, going to return that generosity by getting her out of this old castle of hers before those Radam trees could overrun the place.

 

1010010011110

 

Once dinner had finished and they’d all gone off to the rooms that Gloria had so generously offered to them, Slade found himself drawn back to the large windows. It wasn’t just the fact that they were surrounded on all sides by Radam’s own spoor plants – though the longer he stood looking out at the steadily-encroaching alien forest, the more he could feel an itch at the back of his mind – but also the fact that they’d actually managed to find a place to rest that was worthy of the name. It was almost strange, the thought that there _could_ still be places like this after everything that had happened.

 

“Thinking about the future, Slade?”

 

Turning to look over at Star as she came over to stand beside him, Slade found himself smiling almost involuntarily. “Not exactly. It’s just,” he sighed. “I hadn’t been expecting to come across a place like this, not… We’re going to have to find a way to get that girl to come with us when we leave.”

 

“You’re right,” Star said, folding her arms as the two of them looked out the window together. “Sometimes, it’s kind of hard to believe we all ended up being able to stay in a place like this.”

 

“Yeah,” he muttered, narrowing his eyes slightly.

 

He could still see them, standing in rows deep enough that even _he_ couldn’t quite count them; the Radam’s forest of teknoplants. He could feel their presence in the back of his mind, and even though he was trying not to think of things like that, Slade wondered if he was putting his fellow Space Knights in danger simply by staying in this place. He didn’t _want_ to think that it was his own presence – his and Saber’s – that was what ultimately brought so much danger to their comrades.

 

He knew it was selfish, but he wanted to stay with his friends.

 

01001011101010

 

The sound of Saber’s soft breathing was starting to lull her into a peaceful sort of doze, but since there was still a question or two she wanted to ask, Maggie pushed past it as she turned to look down at the man she had come to care for so much over the time they had spent together.

 

“Hey, you still awake?”

 

Saber’s softly glowing, sky-blue eyes opened again, and even in the darkness of a room without any lights on she could see him smile. “Mags. Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

 

“Well,” she paused for a moment, wondering if what she was going to ask would be too awkward to get into, but since she knew that Saber would be more than willing to tell her if she was getting into territory that made him uncomfortable, she decided to press on. “I was wondering if I could see that crystal of yours?”

 

“All right,” he said, smiling slightly as he sat back up.

 

There was a small surge of light between his hands, brighter than his eyes but with the same color, and then the light seemed to _solidity_ … somehow. She didn’t really know the mechanics of how Saber had done what he had, but since it clearly had something to do with what the Radam had done to him, she wasn’t going to be callous enough to ask.

 

Taking the crystal from his hands as he handed it over, Maggie found her eyes drawn almost immediately to the large crack down the center of the geometric structure. She knew Slade had it worse, since his own crystal had been destroyed _entirely_ and he could only use it in conjunction with Pegas now, but it was still a bit sad to think about.

 

The situation as a whole was horrible, really.

 

“How does it feel? When you transform, I mean,” she clarified, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.

 

“It’s,” he sighed, looking down at his lap with a soft chuckle. “It’s not really something you can describe to someone who’s never felt it. The nearest I can say is… It’s like a sudden rush of energy.”

 

“Sounds interesting,” she said.

 

She didn’t want to being up anything painful for him, or make any trouble about his transformation since she knew it took a lot out of him, so Maggie handed him back his crystal, and the two of them curled up together on the bed. Leaning against the firm, corded muscles she could clearly feel through the fabric of Saber’s shirt and vest, Maggie smiled as she felt the warmth of his body through his clothes.

 

The sound of the door opening prompted Maggie to open her eyes, and she saw Ringo standing right there.

 

“Hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” Ringo said, in a tone that suggested he was smirking at the both of them.

 

“You’d just _love_ to be able to say you did, wouldn’t you, Ringo,” Saber returned, sounding like _he_ was smirking as widely as Ringo seemed to be.

 

“Well…” Ringo trailed off, his tone just _rife_ with all sorts of unspoken implications that were probably going to stay that way. Then he cleared his throat, and Maggie sat up a bit straighter as she saw his posture change. “Look, you guys mind helping me with something?”

 

“Depends on what that is, Ringo,” Saber said, clearly having picked up on the increasing seriousness of their conversation.

 

“Come on,” Ringo said, his tone letting Maggie know that he was grinning again. “You’re telling me you’re _not_ interested in the once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore a _castle_? C’mon, Saber, I thought you had a sense of adventure!”

 

“I must’ve left it in my other vest,” Saber deadpanned, startling a laugh out of her as she continued to lean against him.

 

“Maggie, are you just going to let your boyfriend waste the _one_ night we might get to stay in this cool old castle?”

 

“You’re just going to keep pestering us until we give in, aren’t you, Ringo?” she asked, feeling a smirk staring to spread across her own face.

 

“Well, yeah,” Ringo said, folding his arms, the tone of his voice letting Maggie know that he was probably grinning at the pair of them.

 

1111010010011

 

While she’d been listening to Gloria play the piano, Tina had also been trying to convince the other girl to come with them when they left this castle of hers behind. She’d tried everything she could think of: telling Gloria about the teknoplants that were closing in on her house, trying to explain about the Spider-crabs that always followed wherever the teknoplants grew. She was going to tell Gloria about the Teknomen, and about Rapier in particular since he was one of the scarier ones she’d heard about.

 

She’d never gotten the chance to tell her about them, because Gloria seemed determined not to listen to a single word she was saying! It was really frustrating, but Tina was determined to keep trying, no matter what Gloria _or_ Torg said! All of the rest of the Space Knights were trying to get the sleep that they really hadn’t been able to get while they’d been traveling on the Green Earth, so that meant it was up to her!

 

But, trying to talk to Gloria was like trying to talk to a wall, or like Ringo when he was in a bad mood; she didn’t seem to be able to make any progress at all.

 

Still, as long as she was here, Tina was determined to do everything she could to get Gloria to come with them. It was just what any of the others would have done in the same circumstances. This was something only she could do; just like that time back when Spear had forced Slade beyond his time-limit, and she’d had to calm him down.

 

01001001000

 

As the three of them made their way down the spiral staircase and deeper into the low-light of the stairwell still in front of them, Saber felt Maggie leaning in closer to him.

 

“You know, it’s kinda creepy down here,” Maggie said, as the two of them continued on their way.

 

“Well, you know, the two of you _could have_ stayed behind,” Ringo said, turning to smirk back at the pair of them.

 

He laughed. “Ringo, I know you. Even if I _had_ thrown you out of our room, the way I probably should have, you’d have just kept pounding on the door until we’d either given in, or I pounded _you_.”

 

“No respect,” Ringo stage-whispered, shaking his head with a sigh.

 

Saber rolled his eyes, then caught sight of something in particular, tucked away just out of sight for a human. “Watch out for that hole. I don’t think those bats will be too happy if you disturb them.”

 

“Oh, right then,” Ringo said, carefully turning his steps away from the small hole that Saber had managed to spot.

 

“Do you even know what you’re looking for, Ringo?” he asked, morbidly curious to know if they were just wandering around this dusty old castle at the whims of one of their fellow Space Knights, or if they were doing it for a _reason_.

 

“Well, you guys have to figure that a castle like this would pretty much _have_ to have a well-stocked wine cellar,” Ringo said, grinning back at the pair of them as they kept moving.

 

“Ringo, you’re a hopeless case,” he said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as the three of them continued on their way down the stairs.

 

Naturally, he spotted the large door before either Ringo or Maggie saw the thing, pointing it out so that the two of them would know it was there before the wavering circle of light thrown off by the candelabra Ringo was carrying could fall on it. Listening with half an ear to Ringo and Maggie as they talked, Saber tensed as the creeping feeling of being surrounded on all sides came over him suddenly.

 

_(Saber!)_

_(Let me guess: you need my help to deal with some Spider-crabs coming for us?)_

_(Yeah, that’s just it; can you hurry?)_

_(Right,)_ he said, quickly becoming serious again.

 

Ringo and Maggie both noticed the sudden change in his demeanor, of course, so neither of them was actually surprised when he called a goodbye over his shoulder and ran out to join his brother on the battlefield. Transforming in the space between one step and the next, Saber launched himself into the air and joined up with Slade. His older twin was standing atop Pegas the way he usually did, ranging across the sky as he rained down high-speed destruction on the Spider-crabs all around them.

 

Saber moved in quickly to support him, drawing his lancer and beginning to carve his own way through the swarm in front of him, he found himself being led farther and farther away from his brother.

 

He also found himself having to come to Slade’s rescue after his older twin had managed to get himself knocked out of the air by one of the Spider-crabs, but that was something the two of them had done often enough for each other that he didn’t really notice it anymore. Smiling slightly when Ringo made his presence known, blowing a few more Spider-crabs out of their way even as Saber forced his way back toward Slade.

 

The three of them carved their way through the attacking Spider-crabs, but there wasn’t much any of them could do about the Radam trees that pulled the castle down below them. It was a sad thing, knowing that the Radam had deprived yet another person of their home and family, but it was something they shared. _Of all the things to share, it just had to be sadness,_ Saber mused, shaking his head briefly.

 

Once the three of them had cleared out the small swarm that had attacked them – Saber couldn’t help the thought that their presence had been what had catalyzed those Spider-crabs and the Radam trees that had descended on this place – with Slade having returned from his own detour to rescue Star and Tina, the three of them quickly returned to their fellow Space Knights. Saber was at least glad that they wouldn’t going to be forced to stay here. All other considerations aside, the memories weren’t something he liked to recall.

 

Following his fellow Space Knights back into the Green Earth, Saber caught sight of the pensive expression on Ringo’s face. Sidling up to the blond through the crowd of their fellow Space Knights, Saber raised an eyebrow at the other man as Ringo turned to meet his gaze.

 

“What’s on your mind, Ringo?”

 

“It’s just,” Ringo paused for a long moment, as the rest of their fellow Space Knights made their way into the Green Earth. “I knew people were developing synthoid tech, but… well, I never expected to meet one, that’s all.”

 

Ringo didn’t seem in any real mood to talk after that, moving past him and back into the Green Earth, but Saber got the feeling he knew what the blond had been talking about. And yes, it _did_ let him feel a bit less guilty for being forced to leave Gloria behind in the devastated remains of her – if gender could be applied to what was, in the end, just a particularly convincing synthoid – home, but it was a strange thing to think about, all the same.

 

Really, Saber didn’t know what _to_ think about the situation they’d all just been through; he got the feeling that Ringo wasn’t going to be particularly interested in talking about what they’d been through here, even after they’d managed to distance themselves from it.

 

Sure, he didn’t intend to press the blond to share his thoughts, both since he wasn’t in a hurry to be rude to someone he knew and respected and because he wanted that same courtesy extended to himself, but Saber was pretty sure he was right. Settling into the berth that he’d claimed for himself when he and Slade had finally been able to rejoin the rest of their fellow Space Knights aboard the Green Earth, Saber closed his eyes and let himself drift off. His last, conscious thought was to wonder just who else they and theirs would meet during their half-forced sojourn.


	31. Reformation

The deep, steady rumbling of the Green Earth’s engine was the first thing Maggie noticed when she woke up, especially since it’s been one of the things that Saber was the most vocal complaining about whenever it got to him too much. She didn’t really know – she _couldn’t_ , under the circumstances – just what it was like, living with the enhanced senses that Slade and Saber had been altered to have by the Radam. She wasn’t particularly sure she _wanted_ to know, either; both because it was obvious that the two of them still had problems dealing with sensory-overload, and because the only way to gain those kind of enhanced senses was to be transformed by the Radam.

 

She didn’t want anything more to do with the Radam than was absolutely necessary under the circumstances.

 

The sound of running footsteps on the deck-plating drew her attention, just in time to see Slade, Saber, and Ringo go rushing into the aft section of the Green Earth. That probably meant that there were more Spider-crabs around, and _that_ meant that she should probably go and start fixing breakfast so their fellow Space Knights would have something to eat when they got back. They always seemed to be facing Spider-crabs lately, and while Maggie couldn’t find it in herself to honestly wish they were facing Axe or Rapier, she couldn’t stop wondering just what the two of them were planning, either.

 

It couldn’t be anything good, she knew.

 

As she got out the bag of potatoes so she could begin peeling them and preparing breakfast, Maggie smirked as she remembered Tina’s oft-repeated complaints about the state of their figurative pantry. Sure, none of them were particularly _happy_ to be having potato dishes day-in and day-out, but Tina was far and away the most vocal of them about her dislike. Sometimes it could be annoying, but Maggie honestly enjoyed teasing the younger girl about it; it was a nice reminder that the war against the Radam wasn’t _all_ they had in their lives.

 

She was making home fries this morning, something Saber had told her about, and both twins had seemed to appreciate on occasion. It’d been kind of fun, having Saber help her out in the Green Earth’s small kitchen, showing her how to make dishes that his older brother had made for their family. Yeah, it wasn’t so fun when Saber would pause – those times when he got lost in memories of when he actually _had_ a real family – but at least Maggie had been close enough to distract him with talking about the meals they were trying to prepare together.

 

She knew it wasn’t good for anyone to keep dwelling on everything they’d lost; no matter how much of a right to their grief anyone had.

 

Pushing those unhelpful thoughts aside as the remainder of her fellow Space Knights began filling the room, including the three who’d been fighting Spider-crabs not so very long ago, Maggie smiled for them as she started dishing out the food she’d prepared. Sure, none of them were particularly happy to have potatoes again, but it was still nice to have all of them there.

 

1001001001001

 

A few hours after they’d finished breakfast, they naturally found themselves being attacked by Spider-crabs again; the Wonder Twins were quick to dive into the fray, and Ringo grinned slightly as he climbed into the Tekno-suit and joined the two of them in the air with the Spider-crabs closing in on all of them. Things went pretty much the way they always did, right up until he saw the struggling form of a woman with her ankle trapped under a boulder.

 

Landing next to the woman, Ringo lifted the boulder free from her leg, all the while the Wonder Twins were flying over the two of them in an effort to guard them. Helping the woman back to her feet, Ringo led her off the battlefield while the Wonder Twins guarded their backs. With the two of them there to keep the Spider-crabs away from him and the woman he’d just rescued, Ringo was able to get the woman over to the twins when the two of them had landed after dealing with the remainder of this batch of Spider-crabs.

 

Still, he knew just as well as any of them that more were going to be coming; it was only a matter of time.

 

“You all right?” he asked, setting the woman back on her feet just as Saber transformed out of his Teknoman form.

 

“Yeah, I think so,” she said, though given the way she was blatantly favoring her left leg as she tried to stand on her own didn’t give Ringo much confidence in what she was saying. Looked like it wasn’t having much of an impact on Saber, either, considering the way he rushed right over to support her. “How can I thank you? I owe you my life.”

 

“It’s all right,” Saber said, taking more of her weight as he shifted. “We were in the area, and you looked like you needed the help.”

 

“I’d still like to repay you for your kindness,” the woman said earnestly, as Saber helped her make her way over to the Green Earth.

 

“Well, if you insist,” Saber said, his tone still sounding a bit conflicted; he probably didn’t want to offend her by refusing.

 

As the two of them made their way to the Green Earth, Ringo scanned the skies one last time for any more approaching Spider-crabs, before turning to rejoin his fellow Space Knights. It sounded like Slade waited a bit, before making his own way back to the tank. Ringo wondered, just for a moment, when they’d be coming to that town that he’d heard was down this way. The Green Earth was starting to run low on power again, so the sooner they and their fellow Space Knights made it there, the better.

 

Once the three of them had made it the rest of the way to the Green Earth, Ringo sighed in relief as he stepped out of his Tekno-suit and made his way into the main area of the Green Earth again. The first thing on his mind, and he’d bet a fair bit that he wasn’t the only one, was getting some grub. Even if the only thing they’d had to eat lately _was_ potatoes.

 

001010010011

 

She hadn’t known just what to expect when three of the Space Knights themselves had come racing out of the sky to rescue her from those alien monsters; yes, she’d known who the three of them were as soon as she’d gotten a good look at their armored forms as they’d descended to attack the Spider-crabs that had been falling down towards her where she’d been trapped. She was particularly grateful to both Ringo and Saber for helping her to the large… she couldn’t quite decide what to call the vehicle they all seemed to be traveling in, but since Saber and Ringo had both referred to it as the Green Earth, Rachel decided that she would simply do the same.

 

Following Saber up the boarding-ramp and into the Green Earth itself, Rachel tried not to lean so much on Saber while she walked, but with her leg in the condition it was, she couldn’t manage that for more than a few steps before she had to stop again. Saber did smile at her, so Rachel knew that he was aware of what she was trying to do for him, and at least grateful for it as well even if she _couldn’t_ manage to keep it up for very long.

 

The two of them made their way into what seemed to be a sort of living area, and Rachel quickly found herself facing the main group of Space Knights. The ones that had been working so hard for so long to save the world from the Radam; she didn’t remember all of their names, but Rachel made herself a promise that she would learn them. That was really the least she could do for these people, these people who had sacrificed everything for the world and the people around them.

 

The Space Knights were just the kind of people who _deserved_ to be remembered in this world: the kind who found the strength to defend not only the people they knew, but people that they would probably never even meet during their lifetimes. That was the kind of bravery that Rachel often found herself wishing to see from more people in this day and age. Because, in spite of everything that had happened in the world, all the suffering that she’d been unfortunate enough to witness firsthand, or even just to hear about from the people who had come to her farm looking for sanctuary or even just a place to rest.

 

People like Balzac.

 

She wondered for a moment if Balzac had had anything to do with these people, if there was some way she could have asked him about it without bringing up those memories that had clearly been painful for him to recall. Settling down on the seat near the back of the cruiser’s cockpit, she smiled slightly as she heard another woman – someone Saber called “Mags”, which she thought sounded like a nickname – calling to Saber. He smiled at her, turning to leave the room with the woman so that he could help her prepare the lunch that she’d been talking about.

 

“Here, let me help you,” another woman, this one with long, black hair in contrast to the other woman’s short red hair.

 

“Thank you,” she said, as the other woman wrapped and bandaged her sore ankle. “What’s your name, by the way?”

 

“My name is Star,” she said, smiling gently; Rachel thought the expression was perfectly at home on her face. “What’s yours? If you don’t mind my asking.”

 

“Not at all,” she said, returning Star’s smile. “My name is Rachel.”

 

“There, all done,” Star said, tying off the last knot of the bandage she’d wrapped. “Rachel, we understand there’s a town nearby.”

 

“Well, there _was_ a town around here, but it was destroyed by the aliens,” she said, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, but knowing that she had to tell them, all the same.

 

“How awful,” Star said, and Rachel could see the sympathy she had for those poor, displaced people reflected in the other woman’s eyes.

 

“That’s just great,” Ringo said, the blond man sounding like he’d come to the end of his patience. “We’re almost on empty. How’re we supposed to fill the tank now?”

 

Before anyone else could say anything, the huge cruiser rumbled up and over what felt like a small cliff, jostling everyone inside, and also bringing that red-haired woman who’d left with Saber earlier back into the cruiser’s cockpit with them.

 

“Do you mind? You nearly knocked all of the potatoes off the table,” she said, sounding annoyed, but in a good-natured sort of way. “If Saber hadn’t been there to catch them, I’d have ended up having to clean them all over again. It’s hard _enough_ trying to cook dinner, without having you running over each and every single bump in the road.”

 

“Potatoes _again_?” exclaimed the young girl that she’d seen sitting in the seat opposite her and Star when she’d sat down.

 

“I am so sorry, _mademoiselle,_ ” the red haired woman said, in a tone of good-natured though slightly annoyed teasing.

 

Rachel couldn’t quite understand the word that the red-haired woman said to the girl next, but it set the two of them off into an argument about their situation. Apparently, the Space Knights were starting to run low on food, after having traveled so long between towns. They might have been planning to replenish them at the next town they stopped in, but… that wasn’t really possible anymore.

 

“Hey,” she called, drawing their attention before they could start fighting about something so easy to solve. “Listen, why don’t all of you come to my house for dinner?” she offered, knowing that it was the least she could do to thank them for their kindness; not only in saving her from those alien monsters, but in continuing to protect the Earth from the Radam. “I bet you haven’t had a home-cooked meal in quite a while,” she said, over the happy exclamations of the two other women she’d met.

 

“That’s sweet,” Star said, smiling up at her as Rachel herself stood up. “Are you sure it’s all right?”

 

“My pleasure,” she reassured them all, smiling more widely. “We don’t get much company out here nowadays.”

 

The girl seemed particularly happy about that, though she also seemed eager to tease the woman seated in the seat next to Ringo – the woman whose name turned out to be Maggie – and Rachel laughed as the two of them began arguing again. Laughing softly as Maggie left to go get Saber, Rachel wondered just how Balzac would react to meeting these Space Knights she was bringing back to them. He’d never really been interested in talking about his past, but she’d learned at least _some_ of it from what Rick and Balzac would talk about.

 

She knew he’d been a member of the AEM, and that he’d been some kind of intelligence agent, but beyond that she hadn’t known a thing about the past of the man she’d opened her home to when he was clearly at his lowest. Maggie soon came back with Saber in tow, and he thanked her for the offer of dinner, seeming particularly relieved that he wouldn’t end up having to have another meal consisting entirely of potatoes.

 

She smiled, glad to have been able to offer at least _some_ hospitality.

 

“I have a small solar power generator at my house,” she said, to assuage Ringo’s probable worries about just where they would be able to gain the power they needed to continue on the next leg of the journey they were all clearly making. “It’s not much, but I can let you hook up for the night, at least.”

 

“Thank you, Rachel,” Star said, smiling gently at her. “That’s very kind of you.”

 

Returning Star’s smile, Rachel settled herself back into her seat. She was glad to be able to offer at least _some_ form of hospitality in return for what all of them had done for her.

 

1001001001001

 

When Rick had had raced out to meet the approaching Space Knights, Balzac hadn’t known what to do with himself at first. This day had started out just as simple as any of the others he’d spent down on this farm with Rick and his sister, the woman who’d taken him in when he’d crashed back to Earth after his first and last battle with that Radam Teknoman Spear; the woman who’d saved his soul, who’d shown him that there was a life _beyond_ scrabbling for whatever power and prestige he could grab for himself before someone else snapped it up. Sure, he’d swiped a couple tomatoes for himself and Rick, but Rachel was more likely to gently chide him for that rather than get outright _angry_ about it. But now, finding the Space Knights – Slade and Saber in particular, since those two had been the focus of his efforts and ire both when he’d been working under Gault – all but standing on the doorstep of the farm where he’d managed to find some peace and peace of mind for the first time in a long while, Balzac found himself almost perversely eager to go over and meet them.

 

He didn’t remember much of what he’d actually _said_ to them, with their group of six all gathered around the boarding ramp of that huge mobile base of theirs, since it mostly felt to him that he was babbling for the sake of just saying _something_ , but since none of them tried to punch him – he knew better than most that if _Saber_ had objected to his being there, he’d have known it right off – Balzac allowed himself to relax a bit in their presence.

 

As Rachel took the lead, guiding all of them back to the farmhouse where she, he, and Rick all lived alone here in the countryside, Balzac tried to ignore the wary looks all of the Space Knights seemed to be shooting him. If anyone had a right to their suspicions, it was the people he’d caused so much trouble for back when they’d first met. He could hardly argue that he’d made the best of first impressions, but he’d made up his mind to do the best he could with this second chance he’d gotten.

 

Not everyone got the chance to correct a bad first impression.

 

The sun was starting to set in earnest by the time the nine of them made it to the farmhouse and started to settle in around the table. He was still getting wary looks from the gathered Space Knights, but after all he’d done to them in even the short time they’d found themselves together, Balzac couldn’t find it in himself to blame them. The smell of fresh meatloaf wafting through the air drew the attention of all the waiting Space Knights, and the six of them seemed to mutually decide to put aside the unease they clearly felt for him while they all ate.

 

And sure, he knew that it wasn’t going to last the night, but he was grateful for it all the same.

 

“Here, Saber,” Tina said, grinning as she offered Saber a large, juicy piece of meatloaf. “ _You_ can have this one.”

 

“Thanks, Tina,” the Teknoman said, smiling amusedly as Maggie made an exaggerated pouting face at the two of them.

 

“You rat, you _knew_ I wanted that piece,” Maggie said, frowning at Tina as the girl stuck out her tongue out.

 

“Easy, girls; not at the table,” Saber said, smirking at the pair of them as he cut the piece on his plate neatly in half. “Here,” he said, offering the half nearest to her to Maggie.

 

“No, no,” Maggie said, smiling gently at him. “I know you need that a lot more than I do. Doesn’t stop Tina from being a sneaky little _rat_ ,” Maggie continued, sticking out her own tongue at the girl sitting across from her.

 

“All right, that’s enough out of you two,” Ringo said, smirking at the two of them. “No fighting at the dinner table.”

 

He smiled softly as Rachel laughed. “Really, Ringo, I enjoy it when people feel comfortable enough to just be themselves around here,” Rachel said, smiling as she looked over at the section of the table where Maggie, Tina, and Saber had all made themselves comfortable while they ate.

 

He was glad that they were all getting along, not only because it was at least _one_ way for him to atone for what he’d done to them in the past, but considering what all of them were dealing with, they deserved to take the time to rest up a bit. Though he could still feel the wary eyes of a couple particular Space Knights tracking him through the room as he went on his way. Still, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t have been doing just the same, if he’d been in the same situation those kids had been in when he’d met up with them.

 

If he’d been in their shoes, he wouldn’t have been very fond of himself, either.

 

“Slade, are you not feeling well?” Rachel asked, since he’d been the one being the most obvious about keeping a wary eye on him; not that he could really blame the kid, but most people wouldn’t be equipped to know that kind of thing.

 

“Hey, Slade, don’t be rude,” Ringo said, trying to laugh off what the kid was doing; and sure, it _was_ kind of awkward to have Slade constantly staring him down over the meal that Rachel had prepared for them, but he couldn’t say anything about it without coming off as a complete hypocrite. “She fixed this nice meal just for us; tell her it’s delicious!”

 

“That’s all right, Ringo,” Rachel said, laughing gently. “Let him relax; they’ve all had a long day,” she paused, smiling gently. “I still find it astounding that you all know my friend Balzac.”

 

“How did you meet? Were you all in the army together? Were you spies, like he was?” Rick asked, words nearly spilling over into one another in his sheer enthusiasm.

 

“Yes, how _do_ you all know each other?” Rachel asked, a kind smile on her face.

 

“It’s a long story,” Slade said, glancing at Rachel and then turning to Saber as the two of them got up from the table and moved over to sit closer together.

 

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Rick asked, looking at the particular knot of Space Knights who’d been staring holes in him all through the meal; and through most of the evening, come to think of it. “Aren’t you guys friends? I thought you all worked together!”

 

001010010011

 

He could sense his younger twin’s stifled amusement, but all Slade could really concentrate on was Balzac’s smug silence. It was like the two of them were always moving in opposite directions, and though he knew it wasn’t particularly charitable of him to think that way, Slade still found himself resenting the good fortune that the ex-spy had managed to stumble his way into.

 

 _(I’m starting to wish we hadn’t come here,)_ he admitted, knowing that Saber would completely understand how he felt about… everything.

 

_(Yeah; it’s nice to have good food and all, but I definitely hear you about the company.)_

 

The two of them continued eating in silence, Slade keeping a watchful eye on Balzac as Saber made small-talk with Rick and Rachel. He didn’t quite know what the other man’s angle was, but he knew the kind of man the ex-spy was. He didn’t know just how his encounter with Spear had ultimately affected him, but he knew that there were really only two ways that that kind of near-death experience could have affected someone in his position.

 

All that remained, now, was to find out just how _Balzac’s_ near-death battle with Spear had affected _him_.

 

When the man in question had left the room, pleading exhaustion and the fact that he had chores to do come the next morning, Slade couldn’t help but be painfully reminded of his time as Ness Carter. That was something _he_ would have been worried about, too: chores, and homework assignments, and whether or not he was going to get to school on time. Slade… he and Saber hadn’t had those kinds of concerns in so long that he hardly remembered what they were like.

 

Turning away before he could say something he wouldn’t be able to take back, Slade bumped Saber’s right shoulder, and the two of them made their way out of the house.

 

_(Managing okay, big brother?)_

_(I will be,)_ he said, as the two of them made their way away from the lighted interior of the small farmhouse and out into the starry night.

 

 _(I guess we both just need some time to get used to this,)_ Saber returned, as the two of them continued on out the door, their changed eyes adjusting in the space between one blink and the next.

 

Slade tried not to think about it, since it was ultimately just one more reminder of just how inhuman he and Saber were now.

 

Ringo came out to meet them a few minutes after they’d left the building; apparently, he’d managed to negotiate them some room and board for the night. It was a nice thing, knowing that there were still people in the world who’d be willing to support them even without knowing quite who they were, he just hoped it wouldn’t end up bringing this little family more trouble in the end. It would be a poor way to repay her kindness, bringing the Radam down on her head.

 

He just hoped their cursed luck wouldn’t end up putting _another_ innocent person in danger.

 

Following the others to bed, yawning slightly as the activity of the past day finally caught up with him, Slade hoped that he and his fellow Space Knights would be able to get at least _some_ rest, in spite of everything that kept happening all around them. He knew it was probably a vain hope, with the Radam here in force and two Teknomen in particular that seemed more than a bit interested in them, but Slade found that he couldn’t quite stop himself from hoping. No matter _how_ futile it ended up being, in the end.

 

1010010110101

 

He felt a large, gentle hand settling itself down on his head, even as he continued searching for the pair of mental signatures that were so familiar to him after all the time he’d spent looking for them.

 

_(I know it’s not an easy thing, following the mental signal of people who keep moving around, but you’re doing very well, Sam.)_

_(They’re_ not _moving anymore, Goddard-sensei,)_ he said, looking out into the distance, facing the direction of Cain and Ness’ mental signals; they were clear to any Teknoman who might have tried to look for them, which might have meant that they had let their guard down for some reason… but, it also might have meant that they _wanted_ to be found. _(They’ve stopped.)_

 

Rapier knew what he wanted to believe, but he also wondered just what would ultimately end up being true.

 

_(Really? Let me see, Sam.)_

 

Rapier could sense his mentor’s interest over the mental link that they both shared, and as Goddard-sensei placed his large, warm hands on Rapier’s temples to better focus their respective telepathic links, Rapier felt his own mind opening up still farther. This would make it all the more easy to find out just where it was that Ness and Cain had decided to settle for the night. And then, maybe Rapier would be able to find the answer to his question.

 

010010010000

 

When he’d heard Slade shifting back and forth in the bunk just above him, and more than that when he _hadn’t_ heard his older twin’s breathing evening out as he fell asleep, Saber knew that he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t quite manage to figure Balzac’s angle in all this.

 

 _(Couldn’t sleep either?)_ he asked, knowing that it was a rhetorical question but still feeling the need to ask, all the same.

 

 _(No. You want to get some air?)_ Slade asked, and Saber knew that his older twin would appreciate his company, but would also understand if he wasn’t particularly interested in leaving his warm, cozy bed.

 

 _(I guess I could use some, too,)_ he allowed, smiling slightly. _(Thanks for thinking of me, brother.)_

_(Of course, little brother.)_

 

The two of them pulled on the rest of their Space Knight uniforms, and tried to be as quiet as they could while making their way out of the farmhouse where they and their fellow Space Knights had been able to take shelter for the night. Saber didn’t know if they were going to be able to stay for any more than just the night they had, and more than that he didn’t know if he’d be open to it if Rachel _had_ tried to offer. It wasn’t safe, for one thing: Axe and Rapier were still out there, and there was no telling when the two of them were going to show up again.

 

There was no question in Saber’s mind that they _would_ , of course; their orders from Darkon notwithstanding, the two of them had been thoroughly determined people even before the Radam had dug their hooks in.

 

When they finally _did_ manage to find Balzac, the ex-spy was doing something that Saber would have been the first to deny being possible if he hadn’t been there to see it himself: Balzac seemed to be paying his respects, in some strange way. Sure, Saber wasn’t exactly what your average person would call normal, but… Still, of all the things he’d expected Balzac to be doing, talking to a dead man in front of what was clearly his old, broken-down Tekno-suit hadn’t been one of them by a long-shot.

 

He and Slade stood back, not wanting to interrupt the man during what was clearly a private moment, right up until he mentioned Spear. That was when they both knew that, no matter the kind of peaceful life he’d be leaving behind, Balzac was going to follow them whether they invited him or not.

 

 _(Well, I guess we’d better go see if he’s got his head on straight now,)_ Slade said, sounding about as resigned to their new situation as Saber himself felt.

 

 _(Well, they say that being close to death changes a person,)_ he said, as the two of them made their way over to where Balzac was standing. _(We’ll just have to hope_ he _changed into a better person.) And, while we’re hoping for miracles, I’d really like the Radam to leave_ without _forcing us to kill the rest of our family and friends._

 

He wasn’t about to say it, of course, but given the kind of man Balzac had been, Saber wasn’t going to go in hoping for _too_ much.

 

“What’re _you_ two doing up so late?” Balzac asked, as they came out from behind the cover of the small rock formation and over to where he was standing, next to the ravaged Tekno-suit. “I thought you boys had gone to bed.”

 

“Trouble sleeping,” he said breezily, taking the lead in conversation, the way Slade always seemed content to let him do when the two of them were together.

 

“Huh,” Balzac scoffed lightly, sticking his hands as deep as they would go into the pockets of his pale, faded jeans. “As a matter of face, I had a hard time getting to sleep, myself. Well,” he said, turning and beginning to make his way back to the farmhouse the three of them had left; Saber figured now was the best chance they’d be getting. “See you boys in the morning. Good night.”

 

“We’ve located the Radam’s main base,” he said, tucking his own hands into his pockets as Balzac stopped dead in his tracks. “If you can count on finding Spear anywhere, it’ll be there. The base itself is on the Moon.”

 

“He might as well be in another _galaxy_ , for all the good we’ll be able to do now,” Slade groused, clearly wanting to make his own voice heard during the course of their conversation.

 

“Yeah; we’ll still need to get our hands on a pair of teknocrystals if we’re going to have any real chance of getting up there, the way things stand right now.”

 

Balzac cleared the distance between the two of them in a leap that, while being respectably fast by human standards, still looked slow as far as Saber was concerned. And yeah, Saber knew he could have thrown the other man to the ground when he’d grabbed for the collar of Saber’s Space Knight vest, but it was more than clear that the ex-spy wasn’t thinking much about what he was doing.

 

“Are you _sure_?! You aren’t lying to me, are you Saber?! If I help you find those crystals, we’ll really be able to get to where Spear’s been hiding himself?!” He didn’t even have to say a word, before Balzac seemed to force himself to regain his composure, letting go of his collar so that the both of them could straighten up again. “Saber, I’m sorry. It’s just, whenever I think about Spear, I lose control. But hey,” he said, trying to sound as light and breezy as Saber himself did, those few times he’d wanted to do something that he’d known he probably shouldn’t. “Those days are behind me, right? That has nothing to do with me _now_.”

 

“Of course not,” he said, matching Balzac’s uneasy smile with one of his own; more sad than uneasy, it had to be said.

 

Balzac sighed. “You don’t believe a word I’m saying, do you?”

 

He smiled a bit more widely, though he honestly doubted the expression reached his eyes. “You really want an honest answer?”

 

Balzac closed his eyes, shaking his head in that way people did when they didn’t want to think about a subject they’d been discussing, so Saber let the subject drop. He wasn’t heartless enough to keep pressing on what was clearly an old wound that hadn’t quite healed yet. It was something he tried to keep in mind, even when he hadn’t liked someone; still, Balzac seemed to have become a better person through what had clearly been a near-death experience.

 

It couldn’t have been anything else, considering who he’d been facing.

 

“We should really get to bed now, you know,” Balzac said, turning away and starting to make his way back to the cabin in earnest.

 

1011011001001

 

Reaching down to ruffle Sam’s hair, as his youngest student locked onto Ness and Cain’s minds to ensure they hadn’t moved from their position yesterday, Axe reached out to the group of Spider-crabs that he had gathered to himself in order to deal with whatever allies – most likely those humans that he and Sam had met previously – and gathered them up in order to sent them out.

 

001010101000

 

Making her way out of the door of the house where she, Lance, and her beloved Conrad had all been staying together while he recovered from the damage that his traitorous youngest brother had inflicted on him, Sword looked up into the sky as she saw a Spider-crab descending upon them. Carrying the unconscious form of her dear beloved up to the creature that stood before them, she watched in some apprehension as the creature almost gingerly gathered him up and began wrapping him up in a cocoon in order to carry him back to the Space Ring, so that he could be healed and take his place at the forefront of Lord Darkon’s forces. Once the Spider-crab had finished, only the vague outline of her beloved’s form was visible, but Sword stayed there until the Spider-crab had gathered him up and leaped back into the air.

 

She continued watching, until the Spider-crab had vanished from even _her_ enhanced sight.

 

 _(Be well, my love,)_ Sword said, though she was fully aware that he wouldn’t be able to hear her as he was now.

 

0100010101001

 

They were all getting ready to leave now, the Space Knights that had stopped here for the day so that they could recover from their long journeys – however many they had made between the time their Command Center had been destroyed and however long it had taken them to get here to the farm – and Rachel had been speaking to Balzac about what he was planning to do. She already knew that he was going to go out with them, she’d seen the resolve in his eyes when he’d woke up in the morning, and more than that she had heard him talking with Slade and Saber last night.

 

Because of what she knew, Rachel wasn’t afraid even when the Spider-crabs and Teknomen started attacking; she knew that Balzac would be fighting alongside them, and with the four of them all working together she knew that she wasn’t in nearly as much danger as she had been when she’d first encountered the Radam.

 

Still, seeing the battle going on almost over her head wasn’t good for her nerves, but Rachel knew that if _she_ started panicking then there would have been no chance of her keeping Rick calm. And, if she didn’t manage to keep him calm, there was an all too real chance that he would go running out into the battlefield and end up getting himself killed. That was the last thing she wanted, and so Rachel forced herself to remain composed while the battle continued.

 

It wasn’t long before the pair of attacking Teknomen were driven off by Saber and Slade, so Rachel was able to relax at least a little after being so tense for so long.

 

1010111010101

 

It wasn’t something he’d expected, really; being welcomed into the ranks of the Space Knights by those two crazy kids of theirs after everything he’d done to them, but Balzac wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

“Hey,” he said, just as the rest of the Space Knights were all getting ready to begin heading down to what passed for their rooms in this huge base on wheels of theirs. “Do you boys mind if we talk?”

 

“Sure, Balzac,” Slade said, seeming like he knew just what it was that they were going to be discussing. “What’s on your mind?”

 

Sure, he’d never really been one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but if he didn’t find out what was going on it was going to make him crazy… and, in this kind of fight, it might even get him killed.


	32. Axe Trap

It’d been some time since the two of them had found their way to this church to settle down in while they trained and made their plans to deal with Ness and Cain; he wasn’t so concerned with the humans who tagged along with them, since humans in general weren’t particularly of interest to the Empire unless they were being transformed into Teknomen.

 

Looking down at Sam where he lay, curled up on his chest and breathing softly, Axe smiled softly as the younger Teknoman slumbered on.

 

 _(Good morning, Sam,)_ he said, sitting up slightly as the younger Teknoman shifted in his arms. _(I’m glad to see you’re settling in so well, but I hope you’re not going to start neglecting your exercises.)_

 

 _(Right,)_ Sam said, fully opening his eyes and tilting his head up as Axe raised them both back into a sitting position. “You wanted me to work on balance-exercises today, didn’t you.”

 

“That’s right,” he said, lifting the youngest of Lord Darkon’s forces up and setting him gently on his feet again. “I want five laps around the pews, and make sure you stay on top of them while you run,” he said, giving Sam a stern smile even as he reached down to ruffle the boy’s soft hair. “And, let’s also see how fast you can manage it, too.”

 

“Yes, sensei,” Sam said, bowing to him before turning to leap lightly to the top of the nearest row of pews to begin his first laps of the day.

 

_(Axe, I would speak with you.)_

 

 _(Yes, Lord Darkon,)_ he said, turning away from his observation of Sam as the young Teknoman continued the routine that Axe himself had set him on and making his way out onto the balcony so that he and Lord Darkon would be able to speak without distracting Sam from what he’d been asked to do.

 

Taking a last look back at the youngest of his students as he stood before the large, glass doors that would take him out onto the balcony, Axe smiled as he watched Sam jump from one pew to the one just on the opposite row. It was good to see that the young Teknoman was so diligent when asked to work like this. But he didn’t have any more time to reflect upon those matters.

 

Lord Darkon had called on him, and like any loyal servant Axe would answer.

 

Standing outside on the balcony, overlooking the wide expanse of swiftly-growing teknoplants, Axe turned his attention towards the sensors that Lord Darkon had planted the edges of this church when Axe had informed him that he and Sam would be staying here while they enacted his plan. He didn’t quite know how the plan would work out, not with the twins both seeming bound and determined to force a confrontation, but Axe was duty-bound now to carry through with it.

 

And, unlike Ness and Cain, Axe still understood his duty.

 

 _(Axe,)_ Lord Darkon greeted, and Axe bowed slightly to the sensor that was now aimed at him. _(All goes according to plan?)_

 

“Yes, Lord Darkon,” he said, knowing that his words were being received and transmitted back to the Moon, but not quite the specifics of how for the moment; maybe, if he was given the time later, he’d ask how such a thing was done. He knew it had to be some kind of bio-electric converter, and electronics had been one of his passions, aside from martial arts.

 

 _(There are two items which most concern me at the moment,)_ Lord Darkon said, his tone sounding as calmly calculating as it ever had. _(First: the dispersal of the hive trees; there are still some target areas that have not been sufficiently saturated. See to it that this oversight is corrected with all speed,)_ Lord Darkon continued, his tone becoming ever so slightly more urgent. _(More importantly, see that this plan of yours succeeds in its aims. We can no longer afford all these delays the traitors cause.)_

 

“Those two will be taken care of soon,” he said, pitching his tone to be reassuring, and wondering for a moment just how it was coming through on the other side of their connection. “Since they and those Space Knights of theirs believe that the only way to defeat us is to launch a direct assault on your ship, they have to know that they won’t be able to get there without some extra power. They’ll know by now that the only way to get that extra power is by obtaining another pair of teknocrystals. Sam and I have been encouraging the pair of them to pursue us, drawing them closer to this confrontation.”

 

More amusement from Lord Darkon, though his next question didn’t relate to the twins at all. _(How has Rapier’s presence been serving you thus far?)_

 

“Quite well,” he said, smiling fondly at the reminder of the youngest and most loyal of his students. “He should be finished with his training, if you want me to call him out here.”

_(Do so; I would see the young one’s progress for myself.)_

_(Sam, come out,)_ he called, turning back to look through the glass doors in the direction of the pews; he couldn’t see them all that well from where he was standing, but he could see when Sam began making his way over. _(Lord Darkon wants to see you.)_

 

_(Yes, sensei.)_

 

It wasn’t long before Sam was making his own way out through the glass doors and onto the balcony.

 

“You wished to see me, Lord Darkon?” Sam asked, bowing respectfully as he came into sight of the apparatus that their Warlord was using to communicate with them.

 

_(Yes, child, I did. How are you finding it here?)_

 

“The mission is going well, and Axe-sensei says I’m progressing in my training better than he expected at first,” Sam said, though all told he seemed a bit confused.

 

 _(That is good to hear,)_ Lord Darkon said, and Axe smiled wider.

 

A good teacher always enjoyed having the fruits of his teachings acknowledged.

 

10100100101

 

The steady rumble of the Green Earth’s engines usually served to relax him, but now it only served to remind Slade of just what the people he could be said to be closest to in the world were about to be getting themselves into. He didn’t like the thought one bit, and would have even asked Saber to stay out of it if he hadn’t known full-well that his younger twin would have punched him in the head for suggesting it. But, even if it was doomed to failure, Slade found that he had to at least make the _attempt_.

 

“You know, none of the rest of you have to come along,” he said, mind still open in order to be able track Axe and Rapier’s mental signals; they were both growing steadily stronger as they closed in. “This is going to be dangerous; Saber and I aren’t going to be able to protect you while we’re fighting.”

 

“Hey, we’ve got a stake in this fight, too,” Maggie said, her tone sounding like she wasn’t particularly happy with him. “Besides, what would you do if Pegas had a malfunction, or a breakdown?”

 

“I’m not planning to have any breakdowns,” he said, trying not to snap; no one really _understood_ what he was trying to do for any of them, not even Saber.

 

“Who does?” Maggie asked, though her tone made it sound like she was asking a rhetorical question.

 

“Look, this is going to be a _very messy_ fight,” he said, trying to make the more vulnerable members of their fellow Space Knights – everyone but him and Saber, in this case – understand what they were potentially getting into, and why he didn’t want them getting into it in the first place. “Axe is extremely dangerous, and if Rapier’s been training as closely with him as the two of them have been working together, then you shouldn’t be underestimating him, either.”

 

“It’s that bad?” Maggie asked.

 

“Worse,” Saber said, in a softly terse voice.

 

With their mental-link in the state it was while they had been using that link that all Teknomen shared with one another to be able to track down Axe and Rapier, Slade could sense his younger twin’s thoughts on the matter almost as clearly as though they were his own. _Neither_ of them was particularly happy to have the rest of the Space Knights tagging along for this. Not with what they both knew Axe and Rapier were capable of.

 

“I don’t think any of you really know what you’re going to be getting into,” he said, trying again to explain just what made him so edgy about potentially having them around during the kind of fight that he and Saber were about to get themselves into. “Axe is one of the most dangerous Teknomen out there,” he said, reaching into his left pocket and wrapping his fingers around the remains of Shara’s teknocrystal; it’d become something of his personal talisman over the time he’d carried it.

 

Narrowing his eyes as the Green Earth continued on its way, Slade leaned into Saber as his younger twin wrapped his right arm around his neck.

 

“It’s nice of you to think of us and all,” Balzac said, though he didn’t much sound like it. “Going in without any backup isn’t anything even _approaching_ a good idea.”

_(Well, I guess he should know, eh brother?)_ Saber deadpanned, though Slade could see his younger twin’s brief smirk.

 

Slade tried to swallow his own chuckle, knowing that now wasn’t really the best time for riding Balzac about what had happened to him. They were all supposed to be on the same side now, and he was at least trying to be civil to the man. Not only because of that, but in deference to all that they had both lost.

 

“I know, but at least that way we won’t be taking the chance of any of you guys getting caught in the crossfire,” he said, still making a game attempt to get his fellow Space Knights to understand why he didn’t want them straying too close to whatever battleground that Axe had chosen to meet them on. “You know… how I feel.”

 

No one really had anything to say, not to that, anyway; but it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

 

“What is it, Ringo?” Saber asked, as the Green Earth rumbled to a stop.

 

“I don’t like the look of this; those Radam trees are awfully thick up ahead,” Ringo said. “We might not be able to make it much farther.”

 

“Axe is just up ahead,” he said, fists clenching at his sides. “We have to keep moving. There’s too much at stake to turn back now.”

 

110100100101

 

Clasping his hands on Sam’s narrow shoulders, Axe continued calling out to Ness and Cain as he observed the path they would inevitably make their approach from, considering the direction he could tell they were moving in.

 

 _(It’s been such a long time since the four of us spoke in person,)_ he said. _(Sam and I have both missed you for such a long time. Come to meet us soon, won’t you?)_

 

He rather suspected that that was precisely what the two of them were doing, since their mental signatures had both been growing ever clearer – and hence closer – the longer he and Sam stood on the balcony waiting.

 

“Are they going to be coming soon, Goddard-sensei?”

 

“They’ll be here soon enough, Sam,” he said, smiling as he reached up to ruffle the younger Teknoman’s soft, short hair.

 

Looking back out, down the path that Ness and Cain would be taking on their way up to the ground that he had prepared for them – the path their mental signatures were still on – Axe found that that strange vehicle of theirs hadn’t yet come into sight. He knew that it had to be only a matter of time until it did, since Ness and Cain weren’t at all likely to ignore the baits he’d kept setting out for them every time they chanced to run into each other. Or, at least that was what he allowed Ness and Cain to think.

 

01000100100

 

The road in front of them didn’t look particularly promising, but if Ringo knew one thing about the Wonder Twins, it was how stubborn they both were. Neither of them were likely to let a little thing like being hemmed in on all sides by the Radam’s forest get them down, or stop them from what they were clearly bound and determined to do, so Ringo knew it’d be up to him to get them all moving again.

 

“Looks like we’re taking the Jeep from here,” he said, already standing so he could make his way out to where their secondary transport was stored. “Come on; let’s get ready.”

 

There was a general agreement on that point, so Ringo led the way to where the Jeep and some of the other peripherals were stored. There was no way in hell that he wasn’t going to haul his and Balzac’s Tekno-suits out to wherever it was that Axe was calling them from; no way in hell he was going to let those two go off on their own with all the trouble they always seemed to get into.

 

Once they had all made it to the vehicle-bay at the back of the Green Earth, Ringo was just about to start discussing what they had all come here for, when he noticed Star and Maggie had already started lashing the flatbed haulers to the trailer-hitch. So, with that particular job out of the way, Ringo called Balzac over so that the two of them could start getting their Tekno-suits ready to travel.

 

Neither of the Wonder Twins seemed particularly happy about that, but there were just some things a man needed to do when his friends were in danger; wasn’t his fault that Slade kept missing that. Saber understood, so that was at least one of the Wonder Twins whose neck he _didn’t_ want to wring. It was a start, at least.

 

Once he and Balzac had finished loading up their respective suits and getting them secured, with Slade’s disapproving gaze boring into them the whole way – something Ringo was getting more and more used to ignoring – Ringo hopped into the Jeep’s driver’s seat and waited as the rest of his friends and fellow Space Knights all climbed in and made themselves as comfortable as they could.

 

“All right, everyone all buckled up?” he asked, drawing a smirk from Saber and mostly unamused looks from the rest of his fellow Space Knights.

 

Starting the Jeep without another word, Ringo hit the gas and guided her and their long string of trailers out of the Green Earth so they could continue on their way. The forest of teknoplants all around them wouldn’t have let them get the tank through in any case, but given how thickly-clustered they were in this area, Ringo wasn’t entirely sure if even the Jeep was going to have an easy time navigating the terrain. Still, it was a quicker alternative than setting out on foot, and better for keeping all of them together for what they were going to be doing whenever they got to wherever it was that Teknoman Axe and his little crony were baiting them to.

 

If it’d been anyone else insisting they walk into this kind of a trap, particularly with two Radam Teknomen who were obviously going to try to kill them all for it, Ringo would have insisted on finding a different plan; still, in this case, doing that would have probably just ended up with the pair of them sneaking off to deal with Axe and Rapier. On their own, with no one to back them up when things inevitably went south. That was one of the things he was hoping to avoid, especially under the circumstances, so Ringo made it a point to keep his misgivings to himself.

 

Everyone already knew that he wasn’t generally in favor of the plans those crazy kids had made, especially the kinds that involved the pair of them walking into the jaws of a trap that had been set up by an evil Teknoman, so there wasn’t really much point in going over and over that kind of thing _again_.

 

“I don’t know,” he said, after he’d had to steer carefully past a pair of bubbling pools of goop – _Radam_ -goop, no less – in the narrow path they were all traveling on. “Are you boys _sure_ about this?”

 

“This is the direction Axe’s mental signals are coming from the strongest,” Slade said, sounding as determined as he ever did. “We have to keep going.”

 

Saber didn’t answer, but from the look of concentration on the kid’s face, he might not’ve heard the question in the first place. It was smooth sailing for awhile linger, but Ringo knew that this wasn’t the kind of terrain a guy could afford to be careless on. The Jeep nearly bounced over the ridge of a sudden drop-off that he hadn’t seen _nearly_ in time to avoid, causing them to end up with the right-side wheels of the rugged vehicle sunk right into a pool of the bubbling much that Ringo had been hoping to _avoid_.

 

“Guys, I think we got a little problem here,” he said, as his fellow Space Knights groused and muttered and tried to sort themselves out.

 

1010010010101

 

Tuning out the complaints from the other Space Knights, Slade turned his attention to Saber, even as Ringo tried to get them loose from the pool of shimmering ooze that their Jeep had fallen into.

 

 _(Well, looks like we’re walking the rest of the way,)_ Saber commented.

 

He could hear the soft click of his younger twin’s seatbelt as Saber removed it, and the clatter of Saber’s footsteps as his younger twin jumped down out of the Jeep. After he’d given Pegas orders to follow them as they moved, Slade caught up to Saber and the pair of them began making their own way along the path that would lead them to… to wherever it was that Axe and Rapier wanted them to come to.

 

To their next battleground.

 

“So, where do _you_ think they’re hiding out?” he heard his younger twin mutter, over the distant shouts of their fellow Space Knights.

 

“We’re going to find out soon, so there’s not much point in speculating.”

 

The shouting was getting more than a bit louder, so by mutual agreement he and Saber both picked up the pace. It wouldn’t be right to go leading their fellow Space Knights into the kind of danger that Axe and Rapier posed to anyone who wasn’t a Teknoman, and if they managed to lose them by the Jeep then that would be all to the better. At least _they_ would have a way to retreat before Axe and Rapier came down on them.

 

For a moment, even though he knew it was useless, Slade wished that he’d managed to talk Saber into letting him handle the pair of evil Teknomen alone.

 

Then they were standing outside the large, tall, imposing building that Axe had selected for their battleground, and there was no more time to think about things like that. It was something Saber would have probably thought was funny, that every one of the evil Teknomen they had been forced to face had taken shelter in an abandoned church, but if Saber had anything to say on the matter he kept it to himself. Now really wasn’t the time for that kind of thing, anyway.

 

Slowing back to a walk after they’d run so far for so long, Slade could already feel his stamina beginning to recover. He knew it was an effect caused by all of the nutrient-gas the teknoplants were putting into the pair around them, and so while he wasn’t particularly _happy_ to be the beneficiary of anything the Radam had set up for him, Slade didn’t grumble about it. There was already plenty he hated about the situation; he wasn’t going to waste time complaining about the small things.

 

 _(All right, Axe,)_ he snarled over their mental link. _(We’re here.)_

_(Why don’t you come inside, then?)_

 

The large, dark wood double-doors creaked as they opened, and Slade quickly found himself staring into the dimly-lit – or it _would_ have been dimly-lit to someone who wasn’t a Teknoman – interior of the church. He also found himself confronted with the very Teknomen who’d drawn them so deep into this place to begin with, but the two of them seemed content to wait for him and Saber to come to them rather than the other way around. Slade didn’t know quite how he felt about that.

 

He _did_ know that he would have felt a lot better about things if Saber would have been the type to agree to stay behind, however.

 

 _(You don’t know how much Sam and I have been missing you boys since you left,)_ Axe said; Slade clenched his fists at the sentiment in Axe’s tone, even as Saber looped his left  arm through Slade’s right. _(I’d been meaning to talk to you boys about that. Now’s as good a time as any, don’t you think?)_

 

He wasn’t about to give Axe the satisfaction of getting a rise out of him, even if he _said_ he didn’t want that. When Axe and Rapier both came out, Rapier looking small and almost fragile next to Axe’s stocky, well-tanned, broad-shouldered, imposing bulk, Slade leaned a bit more into the comfort of his younger twin’s body. God help him, he _still_ couldn’t quite resign himself to the thought of dealing with Rapier the way he was going to have to.

 

No matter how many times Slade told himself that this was just another evil Teknoman like Spear, all he kept seeing was his and Saber’s younger brother Sam.

 

“We didn’t come here to chat, Axe,” Saber said, his voice a little tight with the tension that Slade could still sense over their link; he hadn’t shut Saber out again, knowing that he would need his younger twin’s support for what was going to come. “You know what we’re here for.”

 

“Look, I know you’re both very busy people,” Axe said, a slight smile on his weathered face; it almost looked like the one Spear tended to wear, and Slade ground his teeth at the memory. “So, I’ll keep this brief: Lord Darkon is willing to forgive your previous transgressions, if you’ll simply return to the Space Ring with Sam and me. You could even bring along some of those humans you both seem so fond of.”

 

Clenching his fists tight enough that he almost _felt_ his finger bones jamming together, Slade tried to force himself to calm down before he did something even more drastic than just running flat-out to confront Axe and Rapier on ground they’d already had time to prepare.

 

“How many times, in how many _languages_ , do we have to keep saying no before you people finally get the message?”

 

“Don’t be so hasty, Cain,” Axe said; Slade tensed as the evil Teknoman stepped closer to the pair of them. “Why don’t you two come inside. Then we can talk.”

 

“We’ve _been_ talking,” he snapped, though he still couldn’t tear his eyes away from where Sam – where _Rapier_ – was standing, right beside Axe; the Radam Teknoman had his muscular right arm around both of the younger Teknoman’s shoulders and was gently guiding him to stand in front of the pair of them.

 

It helped, looking at Axe’s arms; it help to keep his attention off the sadness on… on _Rapier’s_ face.

 

As a small, soft hand curled around his own left hand, Slade tensed nearly to the breaking point when he looked down into Sam’s – into _Rapier’s_ – upturned face. The youngest of Darkon’s Teknomen was staring up at him with such a sad, hopeful expression that for a moment – a single moment in time; a moment of weakness that Slade wasn’t eager to admit to even Saber – Slade wished that everything could go back to the way it had been. But, even he and Saber working together couldn’t turn back time.

 

And he wasn’t about to sacrifice Earth to the Radam just for his own comfort.

 

As he walked, stiff-legged and tense, into the darkened interior of the church, lined with chipped pillars that lent the place an even more profound aura of abandonment and disuse, Slade mused bitterly that this was the perfect place for this kind of a confrontation to happen; the perfect metaphor for what was about to happen. This empty place, that had once been filled with light and color and life and song… he and Saber had once had those things.

 

Now, all that was left to them were the sad, broken remnants of what had once been their lives.

 

Axe had been talking, and Saber had been keeping up their end of the conversation for the both of them, but until he saw the pair of evil Teknomen settling themselves down on a pew in front of them – until he _knew_ that the two of them weren’t going to go any farther – Slade couldn’t allow himself to relax enough to listen.

 

“Finally back with us, Ness?” Axe asked, smiling gently in the same way that Spear always had.

 

“Axe, why are you doing this?” he asked, wanting to have at least _some_ answers, before everything crashed down on his head again.

 

“It’s only right, offering someone a chance to change their ways,” Axe said, his hands on Sam’s shoulders as their younger brother sat down in front of him. “Lord Darkon has been observing your work, and even though you’ve both done a lot of damage to our efforts, he still recognizes your potential. Both of you are perfectly welcome to rejoin our ranks.”

 

“You both already know we’re not going to come with you,” he said, already starting to feel worn down from the constant repetition; Spear had done just the same, and it had been just as exhausting then.  


“Ness, why do you hate us so much?”

 

Turning away, before he could give in to the temptation to respond to the sadness in Sam’s voice – _Rapier_ , Slade reminded himself again – Slade leaned lightly against Saber as the two of them stood against Axe.

 

111001010010

 

“They’re meeting up with those two in a _cathedral_?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes incredulously at where the trail of deep footprints that Pegas had so considerately left for them to follow ended.

 

It didn’t make a lick of sense to him, how two of the most evil creatures currently on the planet could think of taking shelter inside a holy place like this. At least without bursting into flames, or being thrown out once they crossed the threshold or something. Sure, he knew they weren’t vampires or anything like that, but he still couldn’t help the thought that a Radam Teknoman shouldn’t be able to set foot on holy ground like that.

 

He wasn’t going to mention it to any of the Space Knights, of course, but he couldn’t help the thought that that kind of evil shouldn’t have been _able_ to set foot on holy ground.

 

“It used to be beautiful,” Star said, a haunted, reflective tone to her voice.

 

“I’m glad it’s still standing,” Ringo said, and Balzac could help agreeing with him. “There aren’t many left.”

 

“Let’s go,” he said, reminding all of them of the job they were still trying to do.

 

Just as they were all about to start moving forward again, however, some kind of eerie giant eyeball – red as the eyes on all of the Radam Teknomen he’d been unfortunate enough to encounter – turned toward their group with a baleful glow to it. He didn’t know what to expect, but the burst of that same, sticky purple fluid from the iris _still_ came as a nasty surprise.

 

“Scatter!” he called, nearly at the same time as Ringo shouted his own warning to the group of them as a whole.

 

He could only hope both their warnings had come in time…

 

0001010001000

 

Sighing softly as he saw the pure, stubborn determination on Ness and Cain’s faces as they stared him down, Axe felt Sam shuddering slightly as the younger Teknoman leaned into his loose embrace.

 

“Well, it seems you’re both just as stubborn as you were when I taught you,” he said, gently rubbing Sam’s left shoulder in an effort to comfort him; probably a wasted one, considering that his older sister was dead and his middle brothers were spitting on the offer of clemency that Lord Darkon had so generously made, but there was ultimately no harm in simply _making_ it. “I respect that,” he said, tightening his one-armed embrace around Sam so that the youngest of Lord Darkon’s soldiers wouldn’t feel as though he was being neglected in favor of his elder brothers. “I admire your determination, boys, I really do. It’s a trait I admire about your whole family,” he said, helping Sam back to his feet so that the two of them could stand on roughly equal footing with Ness and Cain; so that the both of them could face what was coming head-on. “The difference is, you boys are on the wrong side!”

 

Rushing them with Sam at his side, Axe quickly found himself facing Cain, as he stepped out to counter Axe’s charge with one of his own.

 

“That’s just like you, Cain: any time anything comes for Ness, you throw yourself right in its path!” he said, grinning as he met the snapping blue eyes of the younger Teknoman standing against him.

 

Cain scoffed. “ _Someone_ has to look out for him.”

 

“You mean, the way that Conrad was always looking after the both of _you_?” he asked.

 

Cain sneered in response. “Not _remotely_ the same thing.”

 

11010010010111

 

He could hear Saber fighting Axe what seemed like only a few steps away, exchanging both blows and words it sounded like, but Slade found that he didn’t have eyes for anyone but the Teknoman in front of him. Sam- _Rapier_ was as vicious as he was fast, and Slade knew that he couldn’t afford the distraction that trying to talk would inevitably be. That was one of the reasons he was trying to ignore what the Radam Teknoman was saying to him.

 

Slade also knew that, if he stopped to answer any of… the younger Teknoman’s desperate questions about what they were all going to _do_ now that they weren’t a family anymore… he wouldn’t be able to start again.

 

“Ness!”

 

Freezing at that sudden, desperate shout – _Sam!_ – Slade ground his teeth as he stood poised to ram his right fist into… into the _Radam Teknoman’s_ face, Slade found himself abruptly thrown out through the stained glass window that the pair of them had managed to maneuver themselves in front of during the course of their fight. He should’ve known better than to trust sentiment from an evil Teknoman.

 

It was just like Spear: just words that didn’t really mean anything to the one speaking them; he should’ve remembered that.

 

Dragging himself up before Rapier slammed a heel-kick into the top of his head, Slade ducked under another sweeping high-kick and then tackled Rapier back into the side of the church they were both fighting in front of. Forced to brace himself as Rapier kicked him in the gut, Slade gasped for breath as he steadied himself. It was insane enough that he was being forced to deal with Rapier when the two of them were both outside of their respective armors, but if the two of them were forced to transform…

 

Grinding his teeth as Rapier’s fist slammed into his crossed arms, Slade braced himself for whatever was going to come next.

 

0100010001001

 

As the purple ooze that’d been spat out by the freaky Radam eyeball-plant – _man_ , that was weird to think about – slammed into the ground, Ringo couldn’t help but notice that it seemed to be heading somewhere, rather than just splattering all over the ground around them like something that resembled normal goop would have done. Still, this was Radam-goop, and Radam-goop could always be counted on to cause problems.

 

Just like the Radam themselves, really.

 

“Great, looks like that stuff’s after Pegas!” Ringo shouted.

 

They’d have to do something about that, if they were going to be able to give Slade a fighting chance against Axe and his crony.

 

101001011101011

 

“You did very well, Cain, to stand against me for so long,” he said, smiling gently as his wayward young student struggled in his grip; Cain was tenacious, no one who met him could deny it, but with his arms effectively pinned behind his back the younger Teknoman could no longer fight against the sleeper-hold that Axe had him in.

 

Cain would lose consciousness soon enough, and then he and Sam would be able to attend to Ness all the more simply.

 

“Damn it, let me _go_!”

 

He chuckled. “Cain, you know that’s not going to happen,” he said, tightening his grip as his wayward student’s struggles became all the weaker with the lack of oxygen he was suffering from. “You know, it’s funny: this boosted metabolism of ours makes it so much easier to recover from injuries, I’ll bet no one else has realized it has downsides like this.”

 

Cain’s attention was clearly no longer on him, however; his wayward young student was clearly using what remained of his conscious moments to let Ness know what was going on. It was an admirable use of the resources that were still left to him; yet another reason that he and Lord Darkon were willing to forgive these little rebellions of theirs. All other things aside, Cain and Ness both knew the value of discretion.

 

Though admittedly _Cain_ was the one most willing to be discreet when the time came.

 

As he felt Cain starting to go limp in earnest, Axe caught sight of Sam kicking Ness under the chin hard enough to knock the elder of his wayward students off his feet for just a few moments before he managed to recover.

 

 _(Good work, Sam,)_ he said, knowing that his youngest student wouldn’t have been able to hear him if he’d simply called over to him, considering all of the other noises in the area.

 

_(Thank you, Goddard-sensei.)_

 

He could feel Cain, already so very weak from having his oxygen steadily cut off, still attempting to buck him off through some means. He was all the more proud of Cain’s tenacity in the face of the kind of odds he was up against; it was truly the mark of how far his teachings had taken root in Cain’s mind, that he was still willing to fight even under these kinds of circumstances.

 

“I really am proud of you, you know,” he commented, though Cain was unconscious now and couldn’t hear him say it.

 

Ducking out of the way of Ness’ sudden, reckless charge, Axe smiled softly as he shifted Cain’s body out of his way and signaled Sam to pull back.

 

“ _You_ , on the other hand, could use some more training,” he said, shifting so that he could pass Cain to Sam without giving Ness any absurd ideas.

 

He didn’t want Cain being injured now that he and Ness were being forced to escalate the level of their own battle.

 

“Tekno-power!”

 

The familiar rush of energy as he transformed into his armored form was rather comforting, and Axe smiled as the bright crimson light cleared from his senses and he was able to see the dismay on Ness’ face. The elder of his wayward students clearly hadn’t expected him to escalate to this level, but there were few other ways to _truly_ determine if Ness measured up to Cain, after all.

 

“Now, Ness, let’s see just how _your_ skills hold up,” Axe said, grinning as he raised his lancer and prepared to engage Ness in earnest.

 

0010010100111

 

Calling for Pegas, and feeling an echo of the power that his teknocrystal held, Slade tensed and jumped back as Axe stepped forward, his armored feet clanging against the floor of the church. Flicking his eyes over to the place where Rapier was sitting, the younger evil Teknoman with his thin, pale arms wrapped around Saber’s chest. He’d been pushing against his younger twin’s mind when he had the time between clashes, but he couldn’t actually _reach_ Saber’s mind.

 

He knew that Saber would recover, but for now he would have to fight Axe on his own.

 

Calling for Pegas again, Slade felt the same echo from his teknocrystal.

 

“Maybe your robot is having trouble,” Axe said, sounding like he was smirking at him.

 

Grinding his teeth, Slade ducked Axe’s sudden slice for his head, diving over to where Rapier was keeping Saber. A hard straight-punch had the little Radam Teknoman throwing himself backwards as Slade grabbed Saber’s shoulders and pulled his younger twin out of Rapier’s slackened grip. Running for the exit, shifting Saber as he moved so that he was carrying his younger twin on his back, Slade heard Axe’s heavy, clanging footfalls behind them.

 

He also heard the sound of Axe’s thrusters as he lifted off, so Slade pushed his tiring muscles for everything they could give him; unfortunately, that turned out to not be quite enough to get the pair of them beyond the row of Radam vines that punched their way through the floor right in front of them.

 

_(Nessie?)_

_(Welcome back to the land of the lucid,)_ he said, trying to make a joke even as he wondered just how in the hell he was going to be able to get the two of them out of here.

 

_(We in trouble again?)_

_(When_ aren’t _we?)_ he asked, feeling Saber slowly reviving as he turned around to face Axe again. _(Think you’ll be up to standing soon?)_

_(I might be a bit wobbly, but I’ll make it.)_

 

When he was setting his younger twin back on his feet, the two of them were forced to turn suddenly at the sound of Axe landing just behind them.

 

“Did you two _really_ think you were going to be able to get away so easily?” Axe chuckled. “We’d spent a long time setting this up; don’t think I’m going to let it all go to waste _now_.”

 

Before Axe could say another word, however, two _very_ familiar bolts of Z-tron slammed into the wall on the right side of the door.

 

000101001001000

 

Breathing more easily when he’d managed to blow a hole through the wall of the building – he tried to ignore the fact that it was one of the few cathedrals that’d remained standing for the duration of the invasion – Ringo called to Balzac to get Slade out of there so the kid could transform.

 

“All right, Saber?” he called, having noticed that the kid looked a bit unsteady on his feet.

 

“I’m still a bit light-headed, but I’ll manage,” the kid said, and Ringo looked back to see the kid with his crystal already out, wearing that same look of fierce determination he’d always had when he went into battle.

 

When Saber transformed, Ringo sighed in relief to know that he wasn’t going to have to fight alone against a crazed Radam Teknoman. When the little Tekno-thug that’d been tagging along with him came running at the pair of them, in full armor and with his sword up and ready to bring down some heavy punishment, Saber kicked him hard enough to knock the little armored thug back against the far wall.

 

“Thanks for the help,” he said, grinning in relief even though he knew that Saber couldn’t see him doing it.

 

“Anytime,” the kid answered, and Ringo would have sworn that _he_ was grinning, too. “Well, shall we try this little scene again, Axe?”

 

10100111101001

 

When he’d finally managed to transform – using Pegas, even though the big mech had practically been encased in some kind of chemical mixture made by the Radam – Slade felt better about the situation than he had since the whole thing had started.

 

_(Saber, I’ll be with you soon!)_

_(Good to hear, big brother; Axe isn’t too happy about you leaving,)_ Saber said tersely.

 

 _(He’d better not be taking it out on you,)_ he muttered darkly.

 

Saber chuckled. _(Well, he kind of_ is _.)_

Growling deep in his throat, Slade drove himself forward with his thrusters, but only found himself on the wrong end of another of Axe’s shoulder-barges.

 

 _(Ness, you_ really _need to learn to control your temper,)_ Axe said, the evil Teknoman sounding amused. _(It’s always been a weakness of yours.)_

 

Trying to push himself back to his feet, Slade found _himself_ stuck in the same purple goop that’d bound Pegas until he’d managed to use the big mech to transform. The energy-surge had cleared it, causing it to crumble intro dust, but the only thing he could use now that he _was_ transformed was his Tekno-bolt, and that took time to charge.

 

Also, he could only fire it once per transformation, and there were too many people he cared for in the area for him to risk a shot.

 

 _(Looks like you boys_ aren’t _going to be collecting any new teknocrystals today, Ness,)_ he could almost _hear_ Axe’s amusement when he spoke, though his link wasn’t open far enough to feel echoes of the evil Teknoman’s mind anymore. _(Really, did you think I was blind, Ness? That I didn’t see the way you and Cain were practically_ salivating _over Sam’s teknocrystal when I had him show it to you?)_

 

Slade growled, feeling himself sink deeper and deeper into the muck no matter how he struggled to pull out of it. It seemed almost like quicksand that way, but under the circumstances Slade didn’t have the time to see if laying back and trying to _swim_ out of the stuff would do him any good…

 


End file.
